Georgia committee recommends sweeping changes to election procedures

A heavily Republican study committee released its recommendations concerning Georgia’s election procedures.

With few details about the committee’s findings, the Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures made recommendations that could fundamentally change Georgia’s election system.

“Over the past several months, this committee traveled across Georgia, listened to voters, local officials and election professionals and carefully reviewed the information before us,” said Blue-Ribbon Study Committee Chairman Tim Fleming, R-Covington. “Our recommendations reflect a balanced, good-faith effort to strengthen confidence in our elections by improving transparency, consistency and accountability to make sure that Georgia’s election system is secure, accessible and in full compliance with state law.

Here are the recommendations from the committee:

• The adoption of legislation to allow paper ballots on Election Day and that the ballots be hand-counted for official tabulation
• Legislation to provide for the procurement of Georgia’s next statewide voting system and funds to be allocated in the 2027 budget
• Extension of the study committee through 2026

Activists have been advocating for paper ballots this year, but the 2026 state budget plan does not allocate any funds for a new voter system.

Senate Bill 214 would allow voters to bubble in their choices at the polling location rather than use the touchscreen. It is waiting for action in the House.

“Georgia law requires voters to be able to know who they are voting for,” Marilyn Marks, the executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “In Georgia’s system, voters cannot know — because the official vote is hidden in a QR code they cannot read.”