The Georgia State Election Board typically holds its meetings on a monthly basis.
The agenda for the Aug. 19 meeting is now available.
The meeting can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@GAStateElectionBoard/streams.
LATEST ELECTION NEWS/BRIEFS
Election equipment committee holds first meeting
The Election Equipment Specifications & Standards Committee held its inaugural meeting on Aug. 7. The group of nine House members, senators and gubernatorial appointees began work developing standards for a new voting system, as charged by recent state legislation adopted during the June special session. The “bipartisan” committee (there is one Democrat) is tasked with recommending requirements for a statewide voting system based on hand-marked paper ballots. That effort comes after lawmakers failed to adopt an alternative voting method following passage of legislation banning QR codes for tabulating votes because of unfounded fears about election fraud in 2020. (The fraudsters apparently took 2024 off.) Last week, the committee adopted rules and tentatively scheduled four additional meetings in September and October to hear from election officials, cybersecurity and accessibility experts and voting-equipment vendors. Meanwhile, state procurement staffers warned the committee that acquiring a new system could take an estimated four to six months under ideal circumstances. Additional time will be needed for the training and implementation, so with a 2028 deadline, the schedule is tight. The committee’s report is due by Jan. 31, 2027.
Georgia lawmakers advance paper-ballot transition plan, delay QR code ban
Georgia lawmakers gave final approval on June 23 to SB 3EX, a measure that creates a legislative committee to develop recommendations for a new statewide voting system based on hand-marked paper ballots and ballot-on-demand printing. The bill also requires automatic manual recounts in certain close statewide races and expands post-election audit requirements. In addition, the legislation delays until Jan. 1, 2028, implementation of a provision in SB 189 that would prohibit the use of QR codes to tabulate votes on ballots cast using Georgia’s current voting system. The committee is required to submit recommendations for a replacement voting system by Jan. 31, 2027, with the goal of implementing a new system for the 2028 election cycle. The legislation also bars the current secretary of state from participating in the selection, certification or procurement of a new voting system. The special session was called to address election uncertainty as the QR ban was set to take effect on July 1 without any alternative system put in place.
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