Legislature Poised to Postpone QR Code Removal, Adds Hand-Count Requirement in Compromise Bill

Atlanta, GA — Saturday the State Senate took up S.B. 3EX, a bill for the special session designed to “kick the can” on the July 1st requirement to remove QR codes from Georgia’s election systems. Election integrity advocates swarmed the halls at the state capitol and sent text message blasts to their legislators, urging them to oppose the bill.

The bill extends the deadline for addressing the state’s current voting system until January 1, 2028, creates a committee to recommend a new electronic voting system, and expands Risk-Limiting Audits (RLAs) to additional races.

Georgia taxpayers are still paying off the $107 million, 20-year bond for the existing Dominion system that failed to meet the standards set in the authorizing legislation, HB 316, in 2019. The new bill sets the stage for yet another expensive electronic voting system recommendation while the state has not delivered what voters have repeatedly demanded: hand-marked paper ballots! In the May Republican Primary, 90% of the voters expressed support for hand-marked paper ballots. Republicans in the legislature should listen to what Republican voters want.

When the State Senate convened on Saturday, it seemed “the powers that be” had already determined that S.B. 3EX would be passed into law. So State Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Forsyth), the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, proposed an amendment that would at least allow election-integrity advocates to salvage something positive from this terrible legislation. It was a trade off.

Dolezal’s amendment requires a full hand count for at least the top two races on the ballot.

This was considered a win by many because conducting a hand count, where a human eye is reading the actual words on the ballot, eliminates the concern about the QR code potentially altering the totals. But only for the top two races. The amendment passed, as did the bill, and it will transfer for consideration to the State House on Monday.

The House Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear S.B. 3 EX Monday morning at 10am at room 606 in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.

Some hailed the passage of the amended bill as a major victory, because this would be the first time that the Georgia Senate voted to require a hand count of ballots in state law. If S.B. 3 EX is destined to pass into law, then it is certainly better for it to pass with this amendment than without it. However, others have criticized the compromise and emphasized the hefty and unnecessary concessions this bill makes that would prevent our elections from being secured.

“SB 3EX is another delay dressed up as reform,” said activist Sam Carnline from Grady County. “Georgia voters deserve hand-marked paper ballots and a full hand count of every race to verify tabulation before certification. Decentralizing the process by bringing it back to the people at the local precinct is the only way to restore trust. We will not accept another expensive electronic system while we are still paying for one that never worked.”