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Cherokee County elections director says state’s QR‑code ban leaves counties scrambling
Summary
Anne, director of the Cherokee County Elections Office, told the county board that Senate Bill 189’s July 1, 2026 ban on QR codes was passed without funding or operational guidance, leaving large counties facing steep costs, equipment and staffing challenges if they must switch to hand‑marked paper ballots before the next major elections.
Anne, director of the Cherokee County Elections Office, told the Cherokee County Board of Elections that Senate Bill 189, which removes QR codes from ballots as of July 1, 2026, did not include funding to update software or acquire equipment needed to implement alternative systems.
"They put a date in it. They did not fund anything," Anne said, adding that county election officials have had little time to train staff or change procedures. She said the county is preparing logic and accuracy testing April 20 and planned to begin advanced voting April 27 but that the legislation left counties "in a pickle." (Anne, Director)
Anne outlined operational consequences if the county moved to hand‑marked paper ballots: Cherokee County currently uses 90 different ballot styles and has about 223,000 registered voters for the primary. "We would literally have to buy a ballot… You'd have to purchase 3 ballots per voter" in some primary scenarios, she said, noting preprinted ballots cost roughly $0.37 each and that emergency ballot inventories are sized to about 10% of registered voters.
Board members pressed on logistics and security. One board member who served for decades said modern ballot scanners prevent over‑votes that required stopping tabulation under older systems, and warned that hand counting introduces more opportunities for human error. Anne said the county performs hand counts of test decks before scanner runs to validate results and described prior full recounts that required hundreds of staff and days of work.
The board discussed equipment ownership and warranties: Anne said the state owns ballot marking devices and scanners while the county purchased poll pads; Cherokee County pays warranties on scanners but not on ballot marking devices because of cost. She said some precinct scanners can be adjusted to read hand‑marked ballots but that software updates and certification would need to be coordinated with the state.
Board members and Anne said the legislature and the Secretary of State must provide clarity and resources. One board member noted that a competing bill (Senate Bill 214) would have allowed more time for testing and certification through 2027 but did not pass in time to relieve immediate pressures.
The most immediate implications for Cherokee County, the board concluded, are operational and financial: larger staffing needs (Anne said the county has not grown staff since 2007), additional consumables, potential purchase of ballot‑on‑demand printers, and significant chain‑of‑custody and transport considerations if many preprinted ballot styles are required.
The board concluded its discussion by urging public outreach and encouraging residents to attend upcoming Elections Office educational sessions and to consider absentee ballots if concerned about QR codes. The director said she is coordinating with state legislators and a former elections official in the state senate to seek solutions.
What’s next: the board said it will continue planning for multiple contingencies while seeking guidance and funding from the state. (Provenance: topicintro SEG 168; topfinish SEG 503)
