Staff Analysis of the Legislation
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This legislation prohibits, effective January 1, 2019, the use of direct recording electronic (DRE) machines for Georgia's primary and general elections. Instead, elections must be conducted utilizing ballot scan voting systems along with electronic ballot markers - which leave a paper trail of votes cast. Rather than dictate which specific systems to use the bill spells out specifications which must be met and all systems must be certified by the Secretary of State. ACCG opposes unfunded state mandates as one of its guiding principles and there are no state appropriations for replacing Georgia's voting equipment in the proposed FY 2017 supplemental or FY 2018 budgets. Additionally, ACCG has concerns that elections superintendents were neither consulted nor involved in this endeavor; there is not enough time to implement this successfully before the Jan. 2019 deadline; there will likely be challenges with ballot confidentiality and security; and there will likely be ballot transportation and storage issues. |