Georgia lawmakers advance bill to delay voting machine changes until 2028 presidential election

Georgia lawmakers have advanced a bill extending the deadline to remove QR codes from Georgia’s ballots to 2028, taking their first official step during the special session to rectify a problem that threatened to destabilize the state’s midterm elections.

The bill passed out of the Senate Ethics Committee in an 8-4 vote along party lines Thursday morning. Sen. Max Burns, a Sylvania Republican who sponsored the bill, said the measure was the result of a compromise between the House, Senate and governor’s office, and resisted attempts from Democrats on the committee to amend the language.

Under current law, the QR codes currently used to count Georgia’s ballots must be removed by July 1. Georgia’s current ballot-marking devices were purchased for $107 million from Dominion Voting Systems and used statewide for the first time during the 2020 election. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told lawmakers in 2025 that updating all the necessary equipment to remove QR codes will require roughly $66 million in state funds.

“This is a proposal that resolves some concerns among our election community and allows a road map moving forward beyond 2026,” Burns said. Under the new proposal, Georgia would switch to a new voting system ahead of the 2028 presidential election.



https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/06/18/georgia-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-delay-voting-machine-changes-until-2028-presidential-election/