Georgia's state election board passed a resolution in a 3-1 vote Thursday, allowing counties to switch to hand-marked paper ballots in the event the state's QR ballot issue is not resolved during the scheduled special session this summer.
The resolution, introduced by newly appointed Vice Chair Janelle King, is non-binding.
In 2024, the state legislature passed a law prohibiting the use of QR codes on official election ballots starting in July 2026. However, Congress did not address an alternative voting system to be used in place of QR codes during the regular session.
A special session on June 17 is supposed to address the issue, along with redistricting plans. But some election board members are worried the legislature will not find a solution fast enough to give counties adequate time to make the switch to a different voting procedure ahead of the November midterms.
The resolution passed Thursday will only apply if the legislature fails to find a solution. In the meantime, the secretary of state's office has advised counties to continue using Georgia's current voting system, so the election board's resolution contradicts those guidelines.
The current voting system does not permit hand-counting ballots, but instead uses an electronic ballot-marking system. Only the use of QR codes to tally the votes is prohibited under the 2024 law, so counties can continue to use the electronic voting systems as long as no QR codes are used in addition to them.
The process will be tested out in the first election after the July 1 implementation deadline. The special election, set for July 28, to elect a replacement for the late state Representative David Scott, will give a preview of possible solutions ahead of the midterms.
The resolution contradicts information that doesn't include the use of hand-marked paper ballots, already sent out to applicable counties by another agency, regarding how to move forward with the special election.
