Georgia voters can expect further “tweaks” to state elections laws this year. House Speaker Jon Burns says House Republican leaders will push to eliminate QR codes from the paper ballots voting machines spit out to voters after they cast their ballots and they’ll consider strengthening the powers of the State Election Board, potentially at the expense of the secretary of state.
The General Assembly passed legislation in 2019 providing for a paper backup to electronic ballots, a move aimed at giving Georgians more confidence their votes are being recorded accurately. But some voters have complained that the QR codes are confusing and impose a barrier on transparency.
The other potential change to election laws would shift investigations of voter complaints of election fraud from the secretary of state’s office to the State Election Board. Burns said such a move would help make the board more independent.
