Georgia delays QR code voting ban, mandates hand recounts for close races
A new law moves the effective date of a 2024 ballot change to 2028 and requires manual recounts if the margin of victory is 0.5% or less.
By Yasmin Farouk ·
Georgia voting machines will continue to print QR codes on paper ballots during the upcoming general election. The state legislature recently postponed the deadline that was set to eliminate these codes from the vote tabulation process. This decision keeps the current system in place while the state works toward a new method.
The original plan stemmed from Senate Bill 189, which lawmakers approved in 2024. Section 7 of that bill aimed to stop using QR codes for counting votes, recounts, and audits. Instead, the printed text of a voter's selections was supposed to become the sole source of information for those processes. The provision was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.
The timeline shifted when the regular legislative session ended this spring without passing a replacement for the QR code method. Lawmakers convened a special session in June to address the gap. During that session, they passed Senate Bill 3EX, which Governor Brian Kemp signed into law. The new bill moved the effective date of the counting provision to January 1, 2028.
The delay gives the state more time to develop new hardware. Senate Bill 3EX created a state committee tasked with recommending specifications for a uniform system of election equipment. This new system will rely on hand-marked paper ballots. The committee must submit its report by January 31, 2027.
The legislation also introduces a mandatory recount rule for the general election. If a qualifying contest is decided by a margin of 0.5% or less, the secretary of state must order a full hand recount. This requirement applies to races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state school superintendent, and the insurance, agriculture, and labor commissioners. The rule specifically covers these offices when they appear as the first or second contest on the ballot.
Voters will still see their selections displayed in text on the paper printout alongside the QR code. The code will remain the primary method for tabulating votes until the new system is implemented in 2028. The change ensures that the transition to a paper-based count is complete before the QR code method is retired.
Source: Atlanta News First
