The jury pool in Bibb County is expected to grow thanks to changes that will be instituted July 1.

Linda Tillman, chief deputy clerk of the Bibb County Superior Court, said the new changes will eliminate the “forced balancing” of juries, which was in place to ensure that a jury wasn’t skewered in favor of a gender or race. The changes also will allow grand jurors to be picked from the same pool as trial jurors.

Tillman said any Bibb County resident at least 18 years old who votes and/or has a driver’s license is eligible for selection.

Georgia was the only remaining state that required “forced balancing” of jury pools. Tillman said the new system is designed to eliminate any opportunity for discrimination since every resident who is eligible will be in the pool. It also will open up grand jury selections to the same pool of candidates as trial juries.

Tillman said that with the change, new jury lists will be created that won’t reflect all historical information about jurors, such as medical and legal reasons as to why someone shouldn’t serve on a jury. Tillman said in that case, all a potential juror would have to do is call the clerk’s office.

Tillman said potential jurors don't need to call the clerk's office unless they get a jury summons after July 1.