Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is calling for the elimination of computer codes on paper ballots and independent oversight of the secretary of state’s office.
“We know that 2024 will once again be a pivotal election, and Georgia will again be the political epicenter of the nation,” Burns, a Republican from Newington, said Wednesday during the annual Eggs & Issues breakfast sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “It is therefore critical that we do everything in our power to continue safeguarding our elections, increasing transparency and building on our efforts to increase voter participation at every turn.”
Burns’ election-year proposals follow complaints from conservative voters and election security advocates who say Georgia’s voting technology isn’t trustworthy. His support could result in bills changing Georgia’s voting laws during the annual legislative session of the General Assembly that began this week. A federal trial in Atlanta that began Tuesday is also questioning the security of the voting system.
Georgia’s voting equipment, manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems, currently relies on a combination of touchscreens and printers that produce a sheet of paper that includes a bar code — called a QR code — along with a human-readable list of the voter’s choices. Optical scanning machines then read the bar code, which counts as the official vote.
Critics of the system say voters can’t know that the QR code accurately reflects their choices.
“We are going to strengthen the security of our ballots by moving away from the QR code — which many voters find confusing — and toward visible watermarks on security paper to denote voter selections,” Burns said.
The secretary of state’s office has previously estimated it would cost $15 million to buy 32,500 new ballot printers statewide that can produce a larger 18-inch ballot it says would be necessary if a QR code is omitted. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has instead asked legislators to spend $4.7 million for devices allowing voters to verify QR codes at polling places.
Burns also said the State Election Board, which handles allegations of fraud and irregularities, should be more independent from Raffensperger, a Republican and Georgia’s chief election official.
The State Election Board last month voted against investigating Raffensperger for his oversight of an audit of the 2020 presidential election. The board also unanimously voted to ask the General Assembly to clarify whether it has the power to police the secretary of state.
Raffensperger opposes the change sought by Republican activists who blame him for Donald Trump’s loss.
“This isn’t about checks and balances. That already exists. It’s a power grab to stop the certification of the next election,” said Mike Hassinger, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office.
In addition, Burns said he’ll support efforts to criminalize political advertisements that use artificial intelligence to fabricate a candidate’s voice or image.
Separately, Burns proposed social media regulations for students, including age verification, parental consent and cyberbullying penalties.
