Georgia Democrats criticize bill mandating hand recounts while retaining ballot QR codes [View all]

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Source: CBS News/AP

Updated on: June 22, 2026 / 9:50 PM EDT


Legislation to keep Georgia's embattled vote-counting method in place for this year's midterm elections faced strong opposition from state Democrats on Monday after Republicans in the Georgia Senate approved an amendment that would require a hand recount of ballots. Georgia's governor, Republican Brian Kemp, had called lawmakers into a special session in part to address a July 1 deadline that was set to ban the QR codes used for the official vote count.

Legislators passed a law two years ago that set that deadline, but then failed to find a replacement for tabulating votes. Some voting rights activists had warned that any changes so close to the midterm elections could create confusion at polling sites. Georgia is a political swing state where voters will decide high-profile races for U.S. Senate and governor in the fall.

State lawmakers last week appeared to have reached a deal on a bill to push the July 1 deadline back to 2028. But Republicans in the Senate approved an amendment over the weekend that would require a full hand recount of the two races at the top of ballot. In November, that would be the governor's contest and a U.S. Senate election. The amended bill passed the Senate on a party line vote, but the House did not immediately schedule it for a vote on Monday.

Georgia Democrats say a hand recount in November would create chaos that could sow doubt about the results. Research has shown that hand-counting is more prone to error, costlier and likely to delay results. It has gained traction, however, with Republican lawmakers in some states amid President Donald Trump's repeated false claims about a stolen 2020 election.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/georgia-democrats-blast-requirement-to-recount-votes-by-hand-in-bill-that-would-keep-ballot-qr-codes/