In response to concerns raised by Cherokee County residents, county commissioners are asking Georgia elections officials to remove QR codes from the state’s ballots.
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Aug. 16, calling upon the Georgia General Assembly, Secretary of State and State Elections Board to remove QR codes from ballots and instead utilize a system that allows the voter to view a readable ballot before it is cast.
According to county officials, Cherokee County residents have expressed their concern with security, vulnerabilities, accuracy of vote tabulation and the ability of voters to verify their selections in a readable format.
The board of commissioners engaged a legal review, and County Attorney Angela Davis advised the Board of Commissioners it did not have the clear unilateral authority to change the way elections are handled or ballots are cast at the local level, but it could request assistance from state officials by way of resolution.
“This Board is an advocate for election integrity. We generally trust the system, especially as administered in Cherokee County, but we recognize that many people do not. While we are legally bound to utilize the state-wide voting system, the Board is compelled on behalf of its citizens to respectfully urge the General Assembly, the Secretary of State, and the State Election Board to immediately pursue changes to the voting system in Georgia in order to restore faith in our system,” the board said in a statement released Friday.
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