What Happened to Georgia Election Ballot QR Code Controversy?

The Georgia Election Ballot QR Code Controversy originated with the state's adoption of new Dominion Voting Systems ballot-marking devices (BMDs) in 2019. These machines allow voters to make selections on a touchscreen, which then prints a paper ballot containing both a human-readable summary of choices and a Quick Response (QR) code that is actually read by scanners for official vote tabulation. Critics, including election integrity advocates and cybersecurity experts, immediately raised concerns that voters could not independently verify the QR code, making the system vulnerable to potential manipulation without detection.

This controversy fueled a long-running federal lawsuit, Curling v. Raffensperger, initially filed in 2017 against Georgia's previous paperless voting system and later amended in 2019 to challenge the new BMD system. Plaintiffs argued that the QR codes deprived voters of their constitutional right to a verifiable ballot. Despite extensive testimony from experts highlighting potential vulnerabilities, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg dismissed the lawsuit in April 2025, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. However, the judge acknowledged that the litigation had prompted meaningful legislative action to improve election transparency and accountability.

A significant turning point occurred in 2024 when the Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 189, which explicitly banned the use of QR codes for official vote tabulation after July 1, 2026. This legislative move aimed to address the long-standing security concerns and increase voter confidence. However, the law did not specify a replacement system or allocate the necessary funding for such a transition, creating a new challenge for the state's election officials.

As of June 14, 2026, Georgia finds itself on the brink of this self-imposed deadline without a clear path forward. The regular legislative session concluded in April 2026 without lawmakers agreeing on a replacement system or providing the estimated $25 million to $60 million needed for new equipment. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has advocated for using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to scan the human-readable text on ballots, a method he claims was successful in a pilot program and would cost significantly less than a full system overhaul. Conversely, the State Election Board, in a non-binding resolution in early June 2026, suggested allowing counties to switch to hand-marked paper ballots if the legislature fails to act, a proposal that contradicts the Secretary of State's guidance and raises concerns about logistical challenges and potential delays.

The immediate consequence of this legislative inaction is widespread uncertainty for county election officials preparing for the November 2026 midterm elections. To avert a potential crisis, Governor Brian Kemp called a special legislative session to commence on June 17, 2026, with the mandate to address the QR code issue and redistricting. While Georgia currently conducts risk-limiting audits (RLAs) that hand-count samples of paper ballots based on human-readable text to verify results, the fundamental method of tabulation remains contested. The outcome of the special session will determine how Georgia's elections are conducted moving forward, with options ranging from delaying the QR code ban to implementing a new tabulation method or a rapid, potentially disruptive, shift to hand-marked ballots.