Georgia Keeps QR Code Voting Amid Hand Count Debate

WHO:

ABC News - Georgia Governor Brian Kemp supports the legislation to delay changes to the QR code voting system.

ABC News - Democratic state Rep. Debra Bazemore expresses concerns about the bill's impact on election integrity.

ABC News - Republican Rep. Victor Anderson led a House study committee on elections.

WHAT:

ABC News - Georgia will continue using QR codes for vote counting in the midterm elections after lawmakers passed legislation to delay changes until 2028.

ABC News - The revised bill limits hand recounts to eight statewide races, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, but only for the top two contests on a ballot if the margin of victory is within a half percentage point.

ABC News - The legislation passed after an amendment requiring a full hand recount of the top two races was opposed by Democrats.

WHERE:

ABC News - The events took place in Georgia, specifically in the state House and Senate.

WHEN:

ABC News - The legislation was passed on a Tuesday, with a July 1 deadline set to ban the QR codes used for the official vote count.

WHY:

ABC News - Lawmakers delayed changes to the QR code system due to concerns that there wasn't enough time to implement a new system before the midterm elections.

ABC News - Some voting rights activists warned that changes could cause confusion at polling sites.

HOW:

ABC News - The current voting system uses QR codes printed on ballots to tally votes, which has faced criticism for being vulnerable to hacking and not allowing voters to verify their selections.

(UPDATED June 23, 2026 19:44 UTC)

Georgia lawmakers have passed legislation to delay changes to the QR code voting system until 2028, allowing the state to continue using QR codes for vote counting in the upcoming midterm elections. The revised bill limits hand recounts to eight statewide races, including key positions like governor and attorney general, but only if the margin of victory is within a half percentage point. Concerns about election integrity were raised by Democratic state Rep. Debra Bazemore, while Republican Rep. Victor Anderson, who led a House study committee on elections, supported the decision to postpone changes due to the tight timeline before the elections.