Bill would delay Georgia's QR code ban to 2028
The Georgia Senate Ethics Commission advanced a bill on Thursday that would delay the ban on QR codes used to count ballots until 2028 and establish a commission to identify a new voting system.
The legislation presented to the committee by Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, also expands the number of risk-limiting audits, which are recounts of certain elections to verify results.
Georgia lawmakers passed a bill in 2024 that would ban QR codes, effective July 1. But the bill provided no funding, and no guidance was given to election officials as to how the ballots would be counted without the codes. The legislation proposed Thursday allows election officials to use QR codes until Jan. 1, 2028.
The Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee, as included in the legislation, is tasked with considering a replacement to the current Dominion Voting system. The committee will consist of nine members. Three will be appointed by the governor, three by House Speaker Jon Burns, and three by the Senate Committee on Assignments, a five-member panel currently chaired by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. All three are Republicans.
Democrats said they were concerned that minorities would be excluded from the committee.
“Voting is a multipartisan experience,” said Senate Minority Leader Kim Jackson of Stone Mountain. “Our election machines matter to Democrats and independents and Republicans alike. This is all about trust. In order to build trust, Democrats need to know that they were represented in the deep dive process and they weren’t just railroaded through in a committee that’s essentially a sham because you’re not going to accept any amendments.
Jackson pitched an amendment to allow the three members from the minority caucus in each chamber to be appointed to the committee. The amendment failed 12-4.
The Ethics Committee agreed to refer the bill to the Rules Committee, which placed it on Saturday’s calendar. Lawmakers plan to hold a rare Saturday session and wrap up the special session on Monday, if needed.
Tagged: Elections BACK TO HOMEPAGE