Changes to Georgia election rules could get state House OK as 2024 session reaches finish line

A voter marks her ballot during early voting, on Oct. 17, 2022, in Atlanta.

Ben Gray / Ben Gray


The Georgia Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation that would give local supervisors more control over Election Day operations, add a new ballot security measure, and create a pilot program to recount every ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

The most contested election bill to make onto the Senate floor on Tuesday was House Bill 1027, which passed by a 33-19 vote as Democratic legislators objected to changing the formula used to determine how many voting machines are set up for Election Day and giving poll watchers more latitude to monitor elections. The two election measures adopted in the Senate on Tuesday will now head back to the House chamber, which would need to give final approval prior to the final day of the Legislative session on Thursday. 

The legislation proposes giving election supervisors the authority to determine how many voting machines are needed at each polling station during statewide elections. It would replace the current law that requires one machine for every 250 registered voters in the precinct on Election Day.