The tick of the countdown clock to Election Day 2019 is deafening for those in the Georgia General Assembly.
The legislature opened its annual session Monday, 295 days out from the next General Election date. The fast approach makes choosing a replacement for the outdated touch-screen machines arguably the most pressing matter on their agenda.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wants the new system in place by the Nov. 5 vote. Any delay pushes the introduction of the process into the 2020 primary, which promises strong turnout — and mass confusion.
Tick tock? More like a gong being struck over and over again.
A study commission appointed by our now governor, Brian Kemp, issued a recommendation last week. The group proposes a machine that records voter choices in a similar fashion to the technology in use since 2002. Once the ballot is completed, however, the machine prints out a paper copy of the record that is then filed by optical scanner, with the paper record then placed in a lockbox as a back-up.
Commission members broadly supported the recommendation. Even one of the three who voted against it, Savannah’s own Sen. Lester Jackson, did so not because he disapproves of the machines, but because he wanted the commission’s guidance to be binding. “This is a case where you don’t want everybody entering their ideas when a commission has been looking at it for a year,” Jackson said.
Yet some are pushing for an alternative, including the study commission’s lone cybersecurity expert, Georgia Tech’s Wenke Lee. He favors a hard-marked paper ballot, which like the machine-printed record would be filed via optical scanner.
Then there are the cost considerations: the machine-and-printed-ballot option is estimated to cost more than $100 million; while the hand-marked paper alternative is projected at approximately $30 million.
The varying views are sure to drive debate, stretch out the decision-making process and shorten the window for purchase, distribution and training.
Not having the new system in place for a dry run this November would be a disservice to Georgia voters.
Voting rights to be discussed
Beyond the process of casting ballots, the legislature must at least discuss other election-related issues.
The 2018 midterms caused consternation. Some Georgians, particularly Democrats and supporters of gubernatorial loser Stacey Abrams, alleged voter suppression and challenged the validity of the results. Many statutes and processes put in place ostensibly as safeguards contributed to the controversy.
Expect Democratic legislators to push for changes to exact match requirements and the voter roll purging process. Overhauls are unlikely, however, as Republicans widely agree these measures are vital to election integrity, and the GOP controls both legislative chambers, as well as the governor’s and secretary of state’s offices.
The leadership will likewise be reluctant to take action on precinct problems. County election boards decide the number and location of polling places, as well as how many machines are at each precinct. Critics last year questioned precinct closings, and long wait times were issues around the state.
Some have suggested the state play a larger role, but as two members of the Savannah-area delegation said, Georgia residents have long favored local control.
Those issues are secondary to taking action on the voting machines. Our local leading Democrat, Sen. Jackson, favors earnest debate about the other issues, but “if we have the right device for the public, a lot of the other questions about who is and who is not eligible will work themselves out,” he said.
As our legislators address election-related issues, we encourage them to remember that voting is a right, not a privilege. The legislature should strive to make voting as easy as possible without jeopardizing the integrity of the election.