Georgia voting system and security transitions

Georgia is undergoing a transition in its election infrastructure, focusing on the development of new voting systems and equipment standards. A state committee is currently evaluating requirements for a system that utilizes hand-marked paper ballots produced via ballot-on-demand printing, a move intended to phase out QR codes in favor of human-decipherable text for the 2028 election.

Amid these transitions, concerns regarding cybersecurity and ballot integrity have emerged. While experts have testified to adversarial cyber operations by foreign actors, recent focus has shifted to a specific software vulnerability in existing equipment. This flaw could potentially allow individuals to match voters to specific ballots, threatening ballot secrecy.

A proposal by the Georgia Republican Party and the Republican National Committee to mitigate this risk—which would require officials to shuffle ballots at polling sites—was rejected by the Georgia State Election Board. Board members cited concerns over the administrative burden on county officials and the risk of ballots becoming uncounted, with one member stating the proposal ‘does more harm than good.’