Overview
- Republican-led Senate approved SB 3EX over the weekend with an amendment that would require full hand recounts of the top two races, expanding post-election checks.
- The Georgia House passed an amended version on Tuesday that narrows which contests can be audited and limits audits to contests within a specific vote margin, and the bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence.
- Under either version, the law would push the existing July 1 ban on QR-code vote tabulation to Jan. 1, 2028 and create a nine-member Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee to report recommendations by Jan. 31, 2027.
- Supporters including Sen. Max Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones say expanded audits and recounts will boost confidence, while Democrats and election officials say hand counts are slower, more error-prone and costly, with Fulton County estimating about $100,000 per day to hand-count top races.
- Funding and implementation remain unclear: lawmakers referenced one-time supplemental appropriations but county officials say distribution and long-term costs are unresolved and the Legislature would be responsible for buying and rolling out any new statewide system for 2028.