Georgia Lawmakers Extended QR Code Ballots Through 2028
Georgia’s legislature passed a bill on June 23, 2026 that will keep QR codes as the method for tallying votes through at least 2028, meaning they will be in place for this year’s midterm elections. The bill passed both chambers largely along party lines and now goes to Governor Brian Kemp for his signature.
Georgia currently uses voting machines that print a paper ballot with a QR code. The QR code, not the human-readable text, is what gets scanned and counted. Critics have long argued that voters cannot verify whether the QR code matches what they actually selected.
The Hand-Count Provision Was Scaled Back
Senate Republicans added a hand recount requirement over the weekend before the bill passed. The final version limits manual recounts to the governor’s or lieutenant governor’s race, and only when the margin between the top two candidates falls within half a percent. Counties will be reimbursed by the state for the cost.
Research has consistently found that hand-counts of ballots are less accurate than machine tabulation. Senator Max Burns, the bill’s Senate sponsor, acknowledged this, saying the hand count is not the “primary method of determining election results” but rather a secondary check when a race appears close.
The Special Committee Has a Conflict of Interest Problem
The bill creates a special committee to select Georgia’s next voting system. An amendment from Representative Tim Fleming, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, directs the committee to focus on hand-marked paper ballot systems.
Democrats tried and failed to guarantee a minority-party seat on that committee. Without minority representation, one party will control the process of choosing how Georgia counts its votes for years to come. Representative Jasmine Clark, a Lilburn Democrat, argued the bill responds to a small group of conservative activists rather than to evidence.
“We’re not using the hand count as the primary method of determining election results.”
Senator Max Burns, Republican sponsor, June 23, 2026
The irony: the same bill that adds a hand-count mechanism also extends the QR code system those activists most distrust.
What You Can Do Now
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Call Governor Brian Kemp’s office at (404) 656-1776 and urge him to veto or return the bill without signature. Tell his staff you oppose extending QR code ballot tabulation through 2028 without first completing a transparent, bipartisan voting system review.
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Contact your Georgia state representative and state senator through the Georgia General Assembly’s directory at www.georgia.gov/contact-elected-officials. Ask them to require minority-party representation on the special committee before the bill takes effect.
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Submit public comment to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office at sos.ga.gov. Demand that any future voting system selection process include public hearings and independent security audits before adoption.
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Share the research. The Brennan Center for Justice has documented the accuracy advantages of machine tabulation over hand counts. Sending that link to your local county election board chair puts the evidence directly in front of the people who run your elections.
Sources
Georgia Recorder: QR Code Ballot Bill Headed to Governor After Hand-Count Provisions Scaled Back
Brennan Center for Justice: Hand Count Audits and Election Accuracy Research
Georgia Secretary of State: Current Voting System Information
Verified Voting: Georgia Ballot Marking Device Documentation