Georgia’s State Election Board has advanced a resolution seeking to implement hand-marked paper ballots ahead of the November 2026 general election, contradicting guidelines from the secretary of state’s office directing counties to continue using Georgia’s current voting machines.
The resolution, which is not binding, was introduced by newly appointed Vice Chair Janelle King and passed in a 3-1 vote Thursday. The board, which has repeatedly advocated for Georgia to switch to hand-marked paper ballots, also approved interim guidelines to be sent out to counties.
King said the resolution would allow county election workers to switch to hand-marked paper ballots in the event that the state Legislature fails to address an upcoming deadline to change the state’s current election system, which relies on a ballot QR code to count votes. Under Senate Bill 189, which passed in 2024, QR codes cannot be used for the official ballot count after July 1.
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