The Georgia Senate voted Saturday to push back the state’s deadline for eliminating QR code-based ballot tabulation, approving legislation that would keep the current system in place through 2028 while adding new election audit and recount requirements.
The proposal, introduced by State Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania), cleared the chamber on a party-line vote after a heated debate between Republicans and Democrats over election procedures and ballot security.
If enacted, the legislation would postpone Georgia’s existing July 1 deadline prohibiting the use of QR codes in vote counting. It would also create a panel to help guide the state’s selection of future voting equipment, expand post-election auditing requirements, and require manual recounts of the two highest-profile races on every ballot before results can be finalized.
Burns argued the measure would provide election officials with a workable path forward while lawmakers determine the state’s long-term voting technology strategy.
“This is a good bill that prepares Georgia for future elections, that secures the elections it will have in 2026 in an orderly fashion and that allows us to do things appropriately,” Burns said.
Georgia’s election infrastructure rests on electronic ballot-marking devices that spit out paper sheets with a QR code. Those codes, rather than the text you see printed on the paper, are what the scanners actually read to tally the vote. For years, state election officials have warned that tearing out and replacing this statewide system would break the bank.
Just last year, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger warned lawmakers that pivoting to a new system would carry a hefty $66 million price tag. But when the General Assembly wrapped up its budget work ahead of the 2026 election cycle, the funding simply wasn’t there.
The latest twist came on Saturday as lawmakers approved a floor amendment requiring local election workers to manually recount ballots for the top two races on the ticket before any results are certified. If that hand tally exposes a flaw in the machine-tabulated count, the official results will be adjusted using standards already baked into state law. The amendment cleared the floor on a 33-19 vote.
Senate Minority Whip Kim Jackson, a Democrat from Stone Mountain, accused Republicans of creating opportunities for post-election challenges and questioned the motivation behind the new recount provisions.
“It sets us up for chaos and I actually believe that is the intention here,” Jackson said. “Republicans are baking into the process an opportunity to create doubt in November, so that they can contest what we know will be a blue wave.”
Democrats also criticized the structure of the proposed advisory committee on future voting systems, noting that members of the minority party would not be included in the group tasked with making recommendations.
The legislation comes during a special session called by Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA). In addition to addressing the QR code issue, lawmakers are considering several other election and tax-related matters. Kemp had also encouraged legislators to examine potential redistricting changes following a recent Supreme Court decision affecting voting rights litigation, though Republican leaders ultimately chose not to move forward with new district maps.
The proposal now heads to the House, where it could receive committee consideration as early as Monday.