Georgia Delays Vote-Counting Overhaul to 2028 as Kemp Averts 2026 Midterm Disruption
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26
Georgia Delays Vote-Counting Overhaul to 2028 as Kemp Averts 2026 Midterm Disruption
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26
Summary
Jan. 1, 2028 is the new deadline after Brian Kemp signed a bill postponing Georgia’s planned shift away from QR-code ballot tabulation, which had been set to take effect by July 1, 2026.
The delay came after lawmakers failed to produce a workable replacement, raising warnings from election officials and experts that the November 2026 midterms could face major operational chaos.
Kemp called legislators back for a special session last week, and they chose to push the issue to the next governor and legislature rather than force a rushed system change.
The QR-code ban grew out of Republican efforts after the 2020 election, when Donald Trump falsely claimed Georgia’s result was stolen after becoming the first GOP presidential nominee to lose the state in nearly 30 years.
The postponement extends a broader election fight in Georgia, where post-2020 voting restrictions and renewed federal scrutiny of Fulton County have kept Trump-era fraud claims alive despite being repeatedly debunked.