Georgia Lawmakers Scramble to Fix July 1 QR Vote-Count Ban Before July 28 Election
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 14
Georgia Lawmakers Scramble to Fix July 1 QR Vote-Count Ban Before July 28 Election
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 14
Summary
Wednesday’s special session is expected to tackle a looming Georgia election problem: a 2024 law bans QR codes for official vote tabulation after July 1, but the state never put a replacement system in place.
July 28’s special U.S. House election in six counties has made the deadline urgent, with early voting starting July 6 and any late change to counting methods risking confusion and court fights.
Last week, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office told counties to keep using touchscreen machines and scanners, then use optical character recognition on ballot images for the official count.
Two days later, the State Election Board rejected that approach as unauthorized and told counties to prepare emergency backup procedures using hand-marked paper ballots if lawmakers do not extend the deadline.
The clash leaves local officials waiting for direction in a battleground state whose QR-based system, adopted in 2020 and attacked by both Trump allies and election-integrity advocates, is used in some counties in more than a dozen states.
Georgia banned QR code ballots to secure votes, but will its rushed replacement system be ready and trustworthy for the July election?
As Georgia's voting system deadline looms, could the proposed fix create more chaos than the problem it was meant to solve?
Georgia Faces $300 Million Voting Overhaul: QR Code Ban, Legislative Gridlock, and Election Integrity at Risk Ahead of July 1
Overview
Georgia faces a critical July 1 deadline that requires urgent legislative action on the use of QR codes in voting systems. Lawmakers can either extend this deadline or fund a new voting system, but a previous compromise bill failed in the Senate and no funds have been allocated yet. Modifying the current system could cost up to $26 million, while a full replacement may reach $300 million. As the deadline approaches, counties are left with conflicting guidance from the state, creating confusion and operational challenges for upcoming elections. This uncertainty puts election integrity and voter confidence at risk.