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Georgia voting system review begins at Capitol
Outgoing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is reflecting on the implementation of Georgia's paper-ballot system and hand audits as state lawmakers prepare to evaluate requirements for the next voting equipment when they reconvene at the State Capitol in January.
ATLANTA - As Brad Raffensperger prepares to leave office, Georgia’s outgoing secretary of state is looking back at what it took to replace the state’s voting machines ahead of the 2020 presidential primary.
What we know:
Raffensperger is wrapping up a high-profile tenure defined by licensing reforms and historic election overhauls.
In an interview with FOX 5’s Deidra Dukes, Raffensperger said giving Georgians a paper ballot was a top priority when he first took office in 2019.
"And so I wanted to make sure that we’d have a good system that would give us a verifiable paper ballot. And we’ve accomplished that," he said.
His office had to take bids, get the equipment to counties and train election officials ahead of the primary.
"And we had to get them ready for the presidential primary of 2020. And we did," he said.
That inaugural election cycle with the new machines was immediately disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. State officials mailed absentee ballot applications to every active voter while keeping in-person polling places open during the pandemic.
Raffensperger said the new system's paper trail gave election officials a reliable way to double-check outcomes.
"The advantage of, you know, what we have now is you can do 100% hand audits, you can do a recount. You have actually paper to count and see who’d you vote for," he said.
What we don't know:
State legislative committees have not yet outlined what specific changes or requirements they will propose for Georgia’s next voting system, nor have officials shared a timeline or projected cost for replacing the current machines.
What's next:
Secretary of State-elect Penny Brown Reynolds is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 11, 2027, as state legislative committees begin reviewing specifications for Georgia’s next voting system.
When asked what lawmakers should weigh as they map out the state's next system, Raffensperger pointed to the current setup as a benchmark.
"I think that’ll be up to them, but I think … what we have right now lays down a really good marker," Raffensperger said.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from an interview between FOX 5’s Deidra Dukes and outgoing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, as well as term dates from the Georgia Secretary of State.