Ballots without barcodes pushed by Georgia GOP in election-law blitz aimed at Trump supporters

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia senators have passed a bill to remove barcodes from ballots. The measure would mandate that printed text on ballots must be used to count votes, rather than a QR code. The bill would take effect July 1, despite Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s position that it’s already too late to make changes before November’s presidential election. Democrats oppose the bill, saying late changes invite chaos. Some lawmakers hope new optical scanners can be purchased and used to count ballots without QR codes this year. A House proposal would budget $5 million. But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett says scanners would be used to audit results, not perform the primary count.