State Senate Republicans made a surprise addition to an elections bill moving through Georgia’s legislative special session over the weekend: a requirement for manual hand counts of ballots before elections can be certified.
The main ballot-related problem lawmakers are working to solve in this session is the use of QR codes on ballots. Currently, there’s a deadline to stop using them to count votes this summer, but no new system is in place. Lawmakers were called back to the Capitol this month to resolve that.
On Saturday, Senate Republicans amended a bill that would push the deadline back to 2028 to include hand recounts as well. Hand counts would be required for the top two races on the ballot before an election can be certified. This November, that would be the races for governor and U.S. Senate.
Republican state Sen. Max Burns of Sylvania, who introduced the original bill, said he supports adding hand recounts.
“I will tell you that that adds an additional level of assurance that our elections are accurate,” Burns said. “Does it add some additional work? Yes. Is it unreasonable? No. Have we done it in the past? Yes.”
But Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones of Augusta said hand counts are less accurate. And he said the proposal feeds into election conspiracies around the use of QR Codes backed by President Donald Trump and some of his allies.
“Something that the voters ought to be aware of that the Republicans are willing to actually put your election at risk. And make no mistake, this kind of does that and so it creates chaos,” Jones said. “It is going to take more time. Also takes more bodies. It takes more people, and it also takes more money.”
Democrats are also concerned about being shut out of the process with this bill — and possibly in the future when picking a new voting system. They said they hope the Republican-led House will make changes.
Tax legislation stalled for now
Meanwhile, legislation that would have allowed residents of Cherokee, Walton and many other counties and cities around the state to vote to lower property taxes stalled in the state House.
Lawmakers from all over Georgia introduced dozens of bills, each for a different county or city. But the legislation needed two-thirds of votes to pass the state House, and it didn’t get them. Property tax bills for Gwinnett, Fayette and Forsyth Counties have also been introduced, but weren’t brought up for a vote over the weekend.
“We’ve heard from people all over the state telling us, in one form or another, that property tax is one of their very top concerns, if not their very number one concern,” Rep. Chas Cannon, a Republican from Moultrie, said on the House floor after the vote Saturday morning. “My question is, why is it such an argument? Why wouldn’t every member of this chamber vote to move forward a practical solution to this problem?”
In a press conference, Democrats presented their answer. They said raising sales tax would hit working families the hardest.
“You’re asking people to raise sales tax on themselves so homeowners can get relief,” House minority leader Carolyn Hughely, of Columbus, said. “You’re picking winners and losers, and that’s not what we should be doing here.”
Similar bills failed to pass the state Senate.
Democrats called the tax bills a gimmick. Republicans vowed to run on the issue in November.
The third big issue lawmakers were set to tackle at the Capitol this month – redistricting – was pulled off the table by Republican leaders last Wednesday, just before the session was set to start.
