The seat had been held by Rep. Robbin Shipp (D–Atlanta) from 2007 to 2009 but Shipp resigned in 2009 due to conflicts with her job as a Fulton County prosecutor, triggering a special election.[1] In the election held on November 3, 2009, Bell won 24% of the vote in a five-candidate field, placing second behind attorney and fellow Democrat Asha Jackson.[2] In the runoff, Bell defeated Jackson by 56% to 44%.[3] She was sworn into office by Chief Justice Carol Hunstein of the Georgia Supreme Court on December 22, 2009.[4] She ran unopposed for re-election in 2010; defeated primary opponent Ralph Long in 2012 and 2014. On October 29, 2015, Bell announced her resignation from office to join Lambda Legal as Southern Regional Director; her resignation took effect November 13, 2015. She was succeeded by Park Cannon.