Georgia Special Session Concludes with Compromise on QR-Code Ballots and Hand Recounts
The Georgia General Assembly concluded its high-stakes special legislative session on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, by passing a scaled-back election bill (headed to Governor Brian Kemp's desk) that delays the state's transition away from ballot QR codes but implements a compromised hand-recount provision.
The compromise resolves a fierce partisan clash that erupted over the weekend when Senate Republicans added an amendment mandating manual hand recounts of the two top-ticket races in every Georgia election before local officials could certify results. The original proposal drew intense backlash from local election directors, voting rights advocates, and Democrats, who warned of high labor costs, administrative chaos, and human error.
The Scaled-Back Compromise and the Move Toward Paper Ballots
The final bill (Senate Bill 189 / House Bill 974 or related measures) represents a major compromise:
- QR-Code Extension: The bill allows the state to continue using QR codes to tally votes until 2028, meaning the electronic voting machines will remain in place for the 2026 midterm elections.
- Narrowed Hand Recounts: Rather than mandatory hand recounts for all top races, hand recounts will be triggered only in governor or lieutenant governor races when the leading candidate's margin of victory is 0.5% or less of the total votes. The state will reimburse counties for the cost of conducting these recounts.
- Future Voting System Committee: The bill establishes a special committee to help select the state's next voting system. Crucially, an amendment added by Rep. Tim Fleming, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, instructs the committee to narrow their focus to hand-marked paper ballot systems. This signals a future shift away from Georgia’s current electronic voting machines.
The conclusion of the special session marks a mixed outcome for Georgia Republicans. While Gov. Kemp initially called the special session in May to address redistricting in the wake of Louisiana v. Callais, Republican leaders ultimately dropped plans for mid-decade redistricting due to pending litigation, as detailed in Supreme Court Reinstates Alabama's Struck Congressional Map for 2026 Midterms. Instead, they pivoted to election administration, producing a bill that satisfies some conservative demands for hand recounts while avoiding the full-scale administrative disruption feared by county election officials.
Quotes
On the compromise on hand recounts:
"Georgia lawmakers dialed back a controversial change that would have mandated hand recounts of the two top-ticket races in every election before local officials could certify the results... The revised measure, which passed out of both chambers Tuesday largely along party lines, limits the use of hand recounts to only the governor’s or lieutenant governor’s race, and implements them only when the leading candidate’s margin of victory falls within half a percent of the candidate in second place." — Georgia Recorder
On the future shift toward paper ballots:
"An amendment added by Covington Rep. Tim Fleming, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, instructs the committee to narrow their focus to hand-marked paper ballot systems, which would represent a shift away from Georgia’s current system that uses voting machines to mark ballots." — Georgia Recorder