Georgia's election officials are heading into the November midterms without a clear answer on how ballots will be counted. Under a 2024 state law, QR codes can no longer be used to tabulate ballots after July 1. But the 2026 legislative session adjourned in April without setting aside the money needed to make the switch or extending the deadline.
A proposal to push the deadline died on the final day of the session. Gov. Brian Kemp could call lawmakers back for a special session to resolve it, though doing so could interfere with campaign fundraising ahead of the May primary and November general election since state law bars legislators from raising money during a session. Voting rights groups including the ACLU of Georgia, the NAACP Georgia State Conference, and the Southern Poverty Law Center have urged Kemp to convene one.
The stakes are real. Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties handle an enormous chunk of the statewide ballot count, and any shift in tabulation infrastructure has to be tested, trained, and certified before early voting begins. Election workers in particular are watching to see whether a special session materializes or whether the July 1 deadline effectively forces a scramble. With the May 19 primary less than five weeks away, the window keeps closing.
