Bernard Reynolds · October 10, 2026
Three days before early voting opens, the Georgia State Election Board is divided over letters its executive director sent to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Neither agency has said whether it will act, and no source reviewed for this post reports a change to how voting will operate on Nov. 3. The dispute matters for a different reason: it places the state's voting system on the legislative agenda for 2027.
What the board approved and what was sent
On Sept. 28, the board voted 3-2 on a resolution urging Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to begin implementing recommended software updates to the state's voting equipment and directing Executive Director James Mills to seek federal assistance. Chair John Fervier voted against it. Letters dated Sept. 30 followed. Votebeat compared the two documents and reported that the letters went further than the resolution in three areas.
On software, the resolution urged the Secretary of State to begin the recommended updates, while the letters asked the Justice Department to compel state and county officials to install specific software before November. On QR codes, the resolution directed assistance with existing federal inquiries into QR-code tabulation, while the letters asked the Justice Department to bar QR-code tabulation and set a binding six-month deadline to move away from it. On the Secretary of State's office, the resolution did not address it, while the letters asked the Justice Department to investigate alleged alteration or withholding of election records.
Fervier says the board did not authorize or review the letters in advance. Board member Janelle King, as reported by WRDW, says Mills was following the resolution and "was doing his job." Raffensperger's office responded that "people who are serious about election security don't inject chaos in the 11th hour." Board member Salleigh Grubbs, who voted for the resolution, told Votebeat she does not believe the requested updates can be completed before November. Mills did not respond to Votebeat's requests for comment.
Why this reaches the 2027 session
Senate Bill 3EX, signed June 25, moved the deadline for ending QR-code vote counting from July 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2028. It also assigned lawmakers, rather than the Secretary of State, to recommend a replacement system. A joint legislative committee led by Rep. Victor Anderson and Sen. Max Burns is to report specifications by Jan. 31, 2027, so that a new system can be in place for the 2028 cycle. The Current reports that Raffensperger requested $15 million in 2025 for personnel costs to update the machines, and lawmakers did not approve it.
The General Assembly convenes Jan. 11. The committee's recommendations, the cost of a new system, and any change to the board's authority are all likely to come before a legislature that will include newly elected members.
What this means for your organization
Organizations that contract with counties, serve as poll workers or vendors, or depend on predictable election administration should expect these questions in committee hearings. Counties will raise implementation costs. Whoever holds the governor's office and the Secretary of State's office will shape the funding request. Members elected on Nov. 3 will have had little time to study the issue before they are asked to vote on it.
If you want to discuss how this affects your plans for the session, you can schedule a conversation here: https://calendly.com/bernardreynolds/true-north-strategy-conversation
Bernard Reynolds is the principal of True North Strategies, a Georgia public affairs firm.
