Local Democrats and Republicans in Georgia are jointly advocating for a return to hand-marked paper ballots, citing the need for a transparent and verifiable voting process. The push comes as the State Election Board (SEB) prepares to consider a petition submitted by Morgan County Democratic Party Chairwoman Jeanne Dufort.
The petition, which will be reviewed during the SEB’s August 6 meeting, recommends the use of the Dominion 5.5-A voting system in its standard configuration. This would involve hand-marked ballots that are scanned and tabulated, reserving touchscreen units for voters requiring assistive technology.
Dufort emphasized the importance of a paper trail, stating, “Hand-marked ballots ensure that voters’ intentions are clearly documented and verifiable.”
Republican support for this initiative has also been strong, with Cobb County Republican Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs highlighting security vulnerabilities in the current system. “We have not had the machines updated with the security patches, it was too late to do it, Raffensperger said that. He has chosen not to do the things that needed to be done to secure the election so from that perspective, I support paper ballots,” Grubbs said.
Former Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) has added his voice to the call, stressing the necessity of a reliable paper trail to certify election results. “The inability to certify that the ballots that are counted by machine on Election Day actually reflect the choice of the voter…is sufficient to require that this Board fulfill its duty to mandate that paper ballots be used,” says Barrow’s letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Federalist.
As Georgia continues to navigate the legal challenges of Curling v. Raffensperger, the bipartisan demand for hand-marked ballots reflects a broader concern for election integrity and public trust in the democratic process. Georgia law permits the use of hand-marked ballots if voting equipment is deemed “impossible or impracticable.”
