Georgia senators debate bill to require hand-marked paper ballots, ballot-on-demand printers

A Georgia Senate committee on Tuesday considered Senate Bill 214 (LC 473679S), legislation that would require most in-person voters to use hand-marked paper ballots that are optically scanned and tabulated, with ballots printed on demand at the polling place.

The bill’s author, identified in the hearing as Senator Barnes, told the committee the measure would “require that all votes are cast on a hand marked paper ballot, and that that paper ballot is then optically scanned and tabulated.” He said the proposal would rely on ballot-on-demand printers to provide each voter the correct ballot style and would allow the secretary of state to run pilot programs as the state implements optical scanning systems.

Supporters said the change would give voters a visible, physical record of their selections and improve auditability. Brad Carver, who identified himself as chair of the Georgia Republican Party’s Sixth Congressional District and chair of an “election confidence” task force, told the committee hand-marked paper ballots are used in multiple democracies and in most U.S. states. “Hand-mark paper ballots are used worldwide,” Carver said, adding they provide a “physical record that blends efficiency with security.” Victoria Cruz, a member of the public who testified in favor, called hand-marked ballots the “gold standard” of voter-verifiable records.

But county elections officials, disability advocates and other members of the public urged caution and asked for more analysis before the state moves forward. Joseph Kirk, an elections supervisor who…