Overview
- State leaders announced the Joint Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee on July 28 and set its first meeting for August 7 to begin work toward a January 31, 2027 deadline.
- The nine members include co-chairs Rep. Victor Anderson and Sen. Max Burns, three other lawmakers and three governor appointees chosen to write equipment standards and specifications.
- The General Assembly says the panel is expected to favor hand-marked ballots printed on demand, a shift that would change how ballots are produced, tracked and counted at polling places and drop boxes.
- A legal mismatch remains because a 2024 law bans scanning QR or barcode tallies while most counties still use Dominion machines that print such codes, and no statewide funding has been approved to reprogram or replace that equipment.
- Officials note competing claims about accuracy and oversight as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger cited audit findings that recent ballot errors were tied to hand-marked ballots and the FBI continues an investigation of Fulton County election materials seized in January, a combination that could shape the committee’s recommendations and county operations.