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Camden County elections staff report registration totals, ballot proofs and changes in proposed state voting-system rules
Summary
Acting Elections Supervisor Rockney Carter reported 44,284 registered voters and recent ballot proofs; Election Technician Dennis Irvin said Senate Bill 214—if enacted—would delay a QR-code ban until 2028, establish a committee including election officials to choose a new statewide voting system, and direct the Secretary of State to purchase and distribute initial equipment.
Acting Elections Supervisor Rockney Carter reported to the board on March 19 that Camden County’s voter registration total is 44,284, including 39,222 active and 5,062 inactive registrants, and that the office has received more than 100 absentee-by-mail applications plus two UOCAVA stateside military applications for the upcoming election.
Election Technician Dennis Irvin updated the board on recent state-level developments after attending the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials (GAVREO) day at the State Capitol. Irvin said Senate Bill 214 passed a committee with substantive changes: it delays implementation of a QR-code ban until January 2028; creates a committee to select a new voting system that will include two election-official representatives; defines “ballot on demand” printing as the voting system to be adopted; transfers audit administration from the Secretary of State to the State Election Board; and directs the Secretary of State to purchase and begin distributing the new voting system after Feb. 1, 2027.
"Senate Bill 214 is an incredible step forward. It is an amazing bill," Irvin said, describing the committee changes, the delayed QR-code ban, and the arrangement for state purchase and distribution of initial equipment as wins for local election officials.
Carter told the board that Camden County received ballot proofs for the May 19 election and completed a first round of checks; staff will send minor corrections to the ballot builder and indicated the underlying election data is correct. Carter invited the public to observe upcoming logic-and-accuracy testing and said the office will advertise the testing in the Tribune and Georgian and on the elections website and social media.
Irvin also outlined election operations: the office will administer 67 distinct ballots for this election with roughly 140 choices including write-ins, and he said poll managers will handle many activation codes and ballot types across sites. He thanked poll workers for their work preparing for a complex election.
No formal board action was taken on SB214 at the meeting; the discussion was an informational update. The board asked staff to proceed with public notice for logic-and-accuracy testing and to continue preparations for advance voting.
