Public commenters and board members urge caution on QR-code ballot deadline and raise security concerns
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Summary
Multiple public commenters and board members urged the DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections to seek a delay to the QR-code removal deadline and flagged security and intimidation concerns; commenters cited bills including SB 189 and alleged vulnerabilities in voting systems.
Several public commenters at the Feb. 12 DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections meeting urged the board to press the Georgia legislature for more time before removing QR codes from ballots and raised broader election-security and voter-intimidation concerns.
Janet Grant, an area poll manager, thanked the board for recent operational improvements but warned that an emergency implementation of hand-marked and hand-counted ballots this year "would have to be almost immediately scrapped" if the legislature proceeds on the current timeline. She told the board the legislature faces a looming QR-code removal deadline of "07/01/2026" under the bills she referenced and said she strongly encouraged the board to issue a resolution to move the deadline to 2027 to allow testing, secure appropriations and time for counties to operationalize changes.
Cheryl Dudley, a voter activist, urged the board to protect poll managers and voters from Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence at polling sites and to coordinate with DeKalb Police to plan for such contingencies. "What am I gonna do when ICE comes in?" she asked, pressing for practical guidance for poll workers.
Dr. Kendra Bogalski, chair of the DeKalb County Republican Party, told the board she had submitted an analysis alleging vulnerabilities in Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5A. In a lengthy statement she cited expert testimony and forensic claims about past elections and said the system uses "unverifiable QR codes," which she said will soon run afoul of SB 189. Her comments included technical assertions and references to external filings and litigation.
Two emailed comments read into the record echoed praise for poll workers and urged expanding early voting and delaying implementation of changes related to SB 189. The board and director acknowledged the public concerns; board members said they planned to monitor legislation and some called for local resolutions similar to those adopted by neighboring counties.
The record shows a mix of operational praise, security concerns, and calls for the board to seek a delay or narrowly tailored legislative remedies. The board did not pass a resolution at this meeting but several members said they supported at least pursuing a one-year delay or more focused technical fixes.