Georgia bill would replace state’s aging voting machines

February 15, 2019

Collins Parker,

By BEN NADLER
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) – A wide-ranging bill moving Georgia to voting machines with electronic ballot markers that print a paper record has been introduced in the Georgia House.

The legislation, filed Thursday, follows recommendations from a commission that wrapped in January. But it disregards advice from cybersecurity experts who say hand-marked paper ballots would be the cheapest and most secure alternative.

Republican Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem, who authored the bill and was co-chair of the commission, dismissed security concerns in an interview. He said electronic ballot markers will be more expensive initially, but would save money on printing and operation in the long run.

The bill also changes other aspects of Georgia election law criticized during Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s race against Democrat Stacey Abrams last year.

ATLANTA – Today, Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo released the following statement on House Bill 316, a bill recommending new voting machines rather than hand-marked paper ballots:

“With this bill, the leadership in the General Assembly is asking Georgians to take a giant leap of faith on a for-profit company with a history of producing insecure and unreliable machines — the same company that paid Brian Kemp’s deputy chief of staff big bucks as a lobbyist. After over 100,000 machine votes vanished in November, it’s abundantly clear that nothing short of hand-marked paper ballots will provide the security and election integrity that Georgia voters deserve. This bill ignores not only the recommendations of security experts but also the will of Georgians, who want to vote using hand-marked paper ballots. There is only one reason why leaders in the General Assembly would promote a less secure and less reliable method of voting: because they would rather pad the pockets of a failed machine company than do right by the voters of Georgia.”