# Bill Fincher (GA House D-23) — Legislator Fact Sheet · The GA Files > Bill Fincher (R, House District 23 — Canton/Cherokee), a former FBI agent and career prosecutor who won a January 2026 special election: his votes, constituent access, and campaign money — a state-level legislator fact sheet. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/BillFincher.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia House of Representatives · District 23 # Bill Fincher Party Republican In Office Jan 2026 – present House Role Member · Cherokee County Scope of This Review 2026 Bill Fincher, a Canton Republican, represents House District 23 in Cherokee County. A Cherokee County native, former FBI agent and career prosecutor who retired as an assistant district attorney, he won a January 6, 2026 special-election runoff with more than 70% of the vote over Democrat Scott Sanders to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Mandi Ballinger, and was sworn in January 10 at the historic Cherokee County courthouse. Because he took office at the start of the 2026 session, only the 2026 bills below reflect his record. He is the Republican nominee this November against Democrat Rob Epstein. 2 / 3In his first session Fincher voted **YEA on the homestead tax-relief and public-camping bills** and **NO on the bipartisan medical-cannabis expansion**, which passed anyway. (Earlier bills predate his tenure and belong to Rep. Mandi Ballinger.) **Methodology.** Each vote is Rep. Fincher's actual position from the official Georgia roll call (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. The chamber tally and final status (became law / died in House) are noted per bill. 01 ## Property Tax Relief (LHOST) SB 33 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote House vote (Agree to Senate Amend to House Sub), 2026 session — 97–72 Status Became law (2026 session) Rep. Fincher's Vote Voted **YEA** — with the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Authorizes a local-option homestead sales tax and related homestead relief, letting communities offset rising property-tax bills driven by climbing home values. Supporters framed it as relief for homeowners squeezed by reassessments; critics noted sales taxes are regressive and that any relief depends on each community choosing to adopt it. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 33 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB33/2026) 02 ## Homelessness Enforcement HB 295 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote House vote (Agree to Senate Amend as HAm), 2026 session — 93–76 Status Became law (2026 session) Rep. Fincher's Vote Voted **YEA** — with the chamber majority, on a party-line vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Restricts unsanctioned public camping and sleeping and presses local governments toward enforcement and state-directed approaches to homelessness. Supporters said it keeps public spaces safe and orderly; homeless-services advocates warned it criminalizes poverty and can push people away from services without adding any housing. #### Sources - [LegiScan — HB 295 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB295/2026) 03 ## Medical Cannabis Expansion SB 220 · 2026 Session NAY Floor Vote House vote (Agree to Senate Amend to House Sub), 2026 session — 144–21 Status Became law (2026 session) Rep. Fincher's Vote Voted **NAY** — against the chamber majority, on a bipartisan vote. ### Impact on Everyday Georgians Expands Georgia's low-THC medical cannabis program — broadening the qualifying conditions and access for registered patients — and passed with bipartisan support. It widened eligibility for Georgians managing chronic and serious illnesses under the state's tightly regulated program. #### Sources - [LegiScan — SB 220 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB220/2026) Constituent Access ## Town Halls Public meetings with constituents · since January 2026 Fincher has been in office less than a year, and his documented public appearances are his swearing-in and campaign events rather than a recurring town-hall series. ## Documented Record - He was sworn in on **January 10, 2026** at the historic Cherokee County courthouse in Canton by State Court Judge Dee Morris, in a public ceremony that also honored the late Rep. Mandi Ballinger. - His stated priorities for the 2026 session were **capping property taxes**, reducing metro Atlanta traffic and lowering insurance premiums. - No recurring open-constituent town-hall series of his own is documented in local press or on his campaign site as of September 2026. This section will be expanded as events are documented. Bill Fincher took office in January 2026; state legislators' constituent-event records are thin and locally reported. Corrections are welcome via the contact link below. ## Sources - [Tribune & Ledger News — Cherokee County state Rep. Bill Fincher sworn into office](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/cherokee-county-state-rep-bill-fincher-sworn-into-office/article_9b22c46a-3d62-438a-8080-eb9480004764.html) - [Georgia Recorder — Republican Bill Fincher wins runoff for Georgia House seat in Cherokee County](https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/republican-bill-fincher-wins-runoff-for-georgia-house-seat-in-cherokee-county/) Campaign Finance ## Campaign Finance Who funds Rep. Fincher · 2026 ## Top Contributors Committee: Bill Fincher for Cherokee. **$18,442.50 raised** this cycle and **$4,281.75 cash on hand**, after $47,681.50 in reported spending and with $7,000 in outstanding loans. Several of his largest donors are fellow Republican legislators' campaign committees. | # | Contributor | Total | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Solutionbuilt (Marietta, GA) | $2,031.25 | | 2 | Stan Gunter for Georgia, Inc. (Blairsville, GA — Sen. Stan Gunter's committee) | $1,800.00 | | 3 | Alan Powell Campaign (Hartwell, GA — Rep. Alan Powell's committee) | $1,500.00 | | 4 | M. E. Pigott (Brookhaven, MS) | $1,000.00 | | 5 | Steven Meeks (Screven, GA) | $500.00 | | 6 | Donald Keeter (Chatsworth, GA) | $500.00 | | 7 | Natalie Woodward (Smyrna, GA) | $500.00 | | 8 | Georgia Association of Realtors PAC (Atlanta, GA) | $500.00 | Source: The GA Files' tally of primary Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) records, cycle-to-date as of September 14, 2026. Donor rows come from the commission's top-contributor summary. Corrections are welcome. ## Sources - [Transparency USA — Georgia campaign finance](https://www.transparencyusa.org/ga) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — official filings](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportLog.aspx) - [OpenSecrets — Georgia state](https://www.opensecrets.org/states/GA) ## Verification Resources - [Georgia General Assembly — House roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/house) - [Ballotpedia — Bill Fincher](https://ballotpedia.org/Bill_Fincher) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — PeachFile (2026 campaign finance)](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) Vote positions are Rep. Fincher's actual recorded votes from the official Georgia roll calls (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. Campaign-finance figures are top reported contributors via Transparency USA; Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups, and the Georgia Ethics Commission holds the official itemized filings. [← All Legislators](https://thegafiles.com/legislators.html)