Fewer Georgia voting machines proposed as Senate panel passes election bills

ATLANTA — Georgia senators advanced a series of election-related proposals Monday that would reduce the number of voting machines on election day, require more audits and post pictures of ballots online.

The bill package arrived in the final days of Georgia’s annual legislative session as the Republican-controlled General Assembly sets priorities ahead of this year’s presidential election.

In addition, the bills would add watermarks to ballots, make voter intimidation a felony, require election workers to be U.S. citizens, allow candidates to proof ballots before they’re printed, and require referendums to raise taxes to be held during high-turnout primary or general elections.

The Senate Ethics Committee approved the measures, House Bill 977 and House Bill 1207, along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

Voting rights advocates told senators they were concerned that fewer voting machines on election day could result in longer lines to vote. Currently, one voting booth is required on election day for every 250 registered voters in a precinct.

“The option to reduce the number of voting machines and voting locations is something we oppose because it could increase voter wait times,” said Joey McKinnon of the group Georgia Values Action. “We just don’t want that to happen.”

But supporters of the proposal said voters haven’t had to wait in line on election days in recent years, and county election directors have asked legislators for flexibility to deploy fewer voting touchscreens and printers. Most Georgia voters show up during three weeks of early voting rather than on election day.

State Sen. Rick Williams said waits at voting precincts aren’t caused by too few voting machines. Instead, logjams occur at voter check-in computers, called PollPads, he said.

“What counties need is more PollPads getting the voters in. This is where they’re backed up,” said Williams, a Republican from Milledgeville.

The worst lines in past Georgia elections occurred during high-traffic days of early voting and the 2020 primary, when some precincts closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

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