Georgia Lawmakers to Address Vote-Counting Deadline in Special Session

Georgia lawmakers are scheduled to convene a special session this week to address a state law that ends use of QR codes for official vote tabulation after July 1. The law was passed two years ago but no replacement counting method was put in place. The secretary of state's office and the State Election Board have issued conflicting instructions to county officials on how ballots should be processed after the deadline.

Background on the QR Code Ban The current system, first used statewide in the 2020 primary, prints a QR code on each ballot that scanners read to produce election-night totals. A separate process using optical character recognition on scanned images is required for the official count under the 2024 law.

Election integrity advocates had raised concerns about the machines' security and the inability of voters to verify QR codes. The law was intended to address those concerns but left counties without an approved alternative.

A special election to fill a U.S.

House seat is set for July 28, with early voting beginning July 6. Six counties in that district received preliminary guidance from the secretary of state's office last week directing them to continue using the current system. The State Election Board later directed counties to switch to hand-marked paper ballots if the legislature does not extend the QR code deadline.

County officials in Henry County said they are waiting for clarification before deciding how to proceed. One candidate in the special election said most voters are unaware of the issue. Another candidate warned that implementing a new counting method without adequate preparation could lead to court challenges.