Georgia’s questionable election system is here to stay for the midterms

As an important deadline approaches for Georgia to fix problems with its election system, a special legislative session has come to a close. Yet the solution the legislature came to has left a potential flaw on the table for the upcoming midterms.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp called a special session last week to resolve a looming issue with the state’s election system, which currently uses QR codes to tabulate election results.

The QR code system was first implemented statewide in the 2020 election.

According to the Georgia Recorder, a state law passed in 2024 banned the use of QR codes. The ban was set to take effect on July 1, resulting in an impending crisis for the 2026 midterms absent a solution this month.

The QR code system was first implemented statewide in the 2020 election, according to WSPA.

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Georgia Governor Brian KempDerek White/Getty Images for the Coca Cola Company

With just a week before the deadline, the special legislative session concluded with the successful passage of Senate Bill 3EX, which, among other things, postpones the looming deadline to find a replacement system until after the 2026 midterms.

The new bill, if Gov. Kemp signs it, will establish a new Elections Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee charged with forming and implementing a system to replace the current system. However, the QR code system will remain in place.

Blaze News reached out to Kemp’s office for comment.

This bill, which Republican state Rep. Victor Anderson told the Associated Press was “the culmination of a lot of work,” is nonetheless “not the ultimate solution.”

“This bill solves an immediate conflict we have and lays out a path to achieve the most election integrity, the most accuracy, the most transparency that we can have going forward when we implement the next uniform voting system in Georgia,” he said.

Republicans and Democrats fought over the extent to which hand-counting ballots could be used in the future. Democrats often oppose hand-counts, citing the extended waiting periods and extra costs.

“The question before us is not whether we support election integrity. Of course we do,” Democratic state Rep. Debra Bazemore told the AP. “The question is whether the bill actually improves election integrity or whether it creates a new opportunity to cast doubt on legitimate election results. I believe it does the latter.”

CBS News reported that the Georgia Senate passed the state House-amended bill after a failed attempt at passing additional amendments in the upper chamber.

The House passed the bill 94-79. The Senate eventually passed the bill 36-16.

The committee would be required to present its findings by January 31, 2027. The new deadline for ending the current system would be January 1, 2028.

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