Georgia House lawmakers passes election bill with changes to hand-count audit proposal

The Georgia House of Representatives has passed its own version of a bill that could eventually change how voters in the Peach State cast their ballots.

On Tuesday morning, the House voted 94-79 to pass Senate Bill 3EX. Because the House’s version was amended, the bill will go back to the Senate to determine whether the changes are approved by the other legislative body.

The bill would create a committee to recommend requirements for a new voting system. The committee would have until Jan. 31, 2027, to report its findings. State lawmakers would be responsible for funding, buying, and implementing the new system for the 2028 election cycle.

The measure would also limit the Secretary of State’s role in selecting a new uniform voting system and expand the definition of “selected contests” subject to mandatory risk-limiting audits.

Over the weekend, the Senate passed the bill on a party-line vote, adding an amendment that would require a full hand recount of the two races at the top of the ballot. In November, that would be the governor and U.S. Senate races. The Georgia House version adjusted what races could be audited, removing some federal races. The House also limited the audits to only if the votes between the candidates are within a certain margin.

Georgia Democrats and some activists have argued that hand recounts could sow doubts about their results, saying that they can be likely to cause delays in the process and are costly.

If the Senate approves the changes and Gov. Brian Kemp signs the bill, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2028.