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Paper ballots focus of latest election reform push in Georgia legislature

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Paper ballots focus of latest election reform push in Georgia legislature


ATLANTA – Five years ago, the General Assembly’s Republican majorities passed legislation providing for a paper backup to electronic ballots, a move aimed at giving Georgians more confidence their votes are being counted correctly.

But legislative leaders aren’t content with that election reform measure. This year, they’re pushing a series of bills aimed largely at paper ballots responding to election watchdog groups clamoring for more tools to ensure accurate outcomes.

“It will bring more confidence,” state Rep. Steve Tarvin, R-Chickamauga, said on the House floor Jan. 31. “It’s something we need to restore.”

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The 2024 crop of election bills includes:

  • Senate Bill 89 and House Bill 975, requiring use of the text portion of paper ballots in tabulating votes rather than QR codes.
  • House Bill 974, requiring Georgia’s secretary of state to develop and implement a statewide system allowing members of the voting public to scan paper ballots.
  • House Bill 976, requiring a “visible security device” in the form of a watermark on paper ballots.
  • House Bill 977, expanding the number of races subject to “risk-limiting” audits.

The QR codes bill already has cleared the Senate Ethics Committee but remains pending before the House Governmental Affairs Committee. Republican lawmakers have cited numerous complaints from constituents about the use of QR codes.

“There’s been a lot of doubt surrounding the QR code, voters questioning whether the QR code is interpreting their vote accurately,” said Rep. John LaHood, R-Valdosta, chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee. “Having the actual text they can see and interpret themselves … is the right correction for us to go in.”

Former Republican Rep. Scot Turner of Cherokee County told members of the House panel he tried unsuccessfully to amend the 2019 bill to get rid of the QR code.

“Nobody’s going to trust the QR codes,” he said.

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Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Max Burns, R-Sylvania, said the Dominion touch-screen voting system the state uses is capable of allowing the text portion of paper ballots to tabulate votes instead of the QR code.

“We’re going to leave the details and technical requirements up to the secretary of state,” he said.

But those technical requirements are giving the House committee pause. The panel has yet to act on the House version of the legislation amid questions surrounding the cost and who’s going to pay for it.

“This could require a heavy purchase of equipment,” LaHood said.

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“I’m opposed to any unfunded mandates on counties until we have more information,” added Rep. Shea Roberts, D-Atlanta.

The House hasn’t hesitated on the watermark bill, the only one of the four measures that has cleared a legislative chamber. The House passed House Bill 976 Jan. 31 with only one “no” vote.

LaHood told his House colleagues before the vote the legislation would require a one-time cost of $110,000.

“This is a low-cost, high-value measure,” he said.

The other two bills – House Bill 974 and House Bill 977 – have passed the Governmental Affairs Committee but not yet reached the House floor.

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House Bill 974 would expand to a statewide program an existing pilot project giving voters the ability to scan paper ballots online.

More: Bipartisan sports betting bill passes in Georgia Senate, but late amendment might capsize it

“This is something that can be implemented right away,” LaHood said. “(The secretary of state) is making provisions to do this.”

House Bill 977 would expand the number of election contests subject to audits from just the race at the top of the ballot to a second race involving one of the statewide races. The second race to be audited would be chosen by a committee of five officials: the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the state House of Representatives, and the House and Senate minority leaders.

Anne Herring, policy analyst for Common Cause Georgia, raised concerns about the latter provision.

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“The governor and lieutenant governor get to vote on whether their own races will be audited,” Herring told LaHood’s committee. “That’s a little concerning to me in terms of public confidence in elections.”

LaHood said including the two minority leaders and bringing the membership to five should allay those concerns.

“One or two people couldn’t sway that decision,” he said. “We need three people to vote together.”

The full House and Senate are expected to act on all of the election reform bills this month.



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Georgia SNAP benefits: How you can help those impacted by upcoming pause

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Georgia SNAP benefits: How you can help those impacted by upcoming pause


With more than 1.6 million Georgians about to lose access to SNAP benefits if the federal government shutdown drags past this week, food banks across North Georgia are bracing for a surge, and asking the public to step in immediately.

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What you can do:

Here is list of organizations, region by region, in North Georgia which could use your help:

Metro Atlanta (Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton)

Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) — feeds families across 29 counties
Needs: peanut butter, canned chicken/tuna, soups, rice, cereal, plus cash (most efficient — $1 = up to 3 meals)
Donate: https://www.acfb.org/donate

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Hosea Helps (Atlanta & Southside) — crisis food, housing, seniors, emergency meals
Needs: fresh/frozen food, hygiene, baby supplies, volunteers for emergency surge
Donate: https://4hosea.org/donate

HOPE Atlanta — homelessness prevention & hunger relief (formerly Action Ministries)
Needs: funds to keep meal and housing programs from being disrupted
Donate: https://hopeatlanta.org/donate

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Salvation Army Metro Atlanta — food pantries + shelter + bill assistance
Needs: nonexpired shelf-stable food, hygiene products, winter readiness
Donate: https://salvationarmyatlanta.org

North Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall and Cherokee counites

North Fulton Community Charities (Roswell/Alpharetta)
Needs: diapers, canned proteins, cereal, hygiene items
Donate: https://nfcchelp.org/donate

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The Place of Forsyth County — food + rent + senior services
Needs: kid-friendly foods, rice, pasta, toiletries, funds
Donate: https://www.theplaceofforsyth.org/donate

Meals by Grace (Forsyth & Dawson) — free grocery delivery to families with no transport
Needs: pantry items + Amazon wishlist + delivery volunteers
Donate: https://mealsbygrace.org/donate

Georgia Mountain Food Bank (Hall / North Georgia)
Needs: canned meats, vegetables, rice, shelf-stable basics
Donate: https://www.gamountainfoodbank.org/donate

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Henry, Fayette, Coweta, S. Fulton, Rockdale, and Douglas counties

Real Life Center (Peachtree City / Fayette) — food + stability programs
Needs: full family staples, baby supplies, hygiene kits
Donate: https://reallifecenter.org/donate

Helping In His Name Ministries (Henry County) — primary food shelf for Henry
Needs: canned meat, cereal, shelf-stable milk, hygiene
Donate: https://www.hihn.org/donate

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One Roof Outreach (Coweta) — food pantry + housing help + thrift supports operations
Needs: food, new socks/underwear, seasonal supplies
Donate: https://oneroofoutreach.org/donate

Rockdale Emergency Relief (Conyers / Rockdale County)
Needs: rice, pasta, canned protein, toiletries
Donate: https://rockdaleemergencyrelief.org/donate

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Clarke, Oconee, Barrow, Madison & nearby counties

Food Bank of Northeast Georgia (Athens + Clayton branches)
Needs: canned fruits/veggies, hearty soups, proteins
Cash impact: $2 = 5 meals distributed
Donate: https://foodbanknega.org/donate

Columbus and West Georgia

Feeding The Valley Food Bank (Columbus region — serves parts of West Georgia)
Needs: canned protein, kid snacks, grains, hygiene
Donate: https://www.feedingthevalley.org/donate

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What is the fastest way to help now?

  • Cash donations go the farthest: food banks buy exactly what’s missing in bulk, fast.
  • Protein is gold: peanut butter, canned chicken, tuna, chili, hearty soups
  • Diapers & hygiene items are huge gaps: SNAP does not cover those at all.
  • Volunteer sorting/distribution: also needed within 48 hours of shutdown trigger

The Source: The details in this article come from the individual organizations list above. Previous FOX 5 Altanta reporting was also used. 

GeorgiaFamilyConsumer
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Florida plans to pressure Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton

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Florida plans to pressure Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton


Florida coach Billy Gonzales said his Gators are bringing energy to their preparation for their annual rivalry game with Georgia in the wake of Billy Napier’s firing on Sunday.

“They were excited about just getting on the field, getting back on the grass, and it went well,” said Gonzales, who has been promoted from receivers coach into the interim head coaching role.

“So, we’re obviously getting ready for this week’s game, and guys are working hard right now.”

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Florida opened as a 7 1/2-point favorite, but the line has dipped to 7 points, an indication that the majority of the early money is being bet on the Gators in their 3:30 p.m. game against the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday in Jacksonville.

Gonzales wasn’t shy about how Florida planned to attack Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, who has led Georgia to a 6-1 start that’s including a 4-1 mark in SEC play.

It’s a Florida defense that sacked Texas quarterback Arch Manning six times in a 29-21 win over a Longhorns team that was ranked No. 9 at the time of the teams’ meeting, on Oct. 4.

“I’m looking at some of the stats, you know, we just got done talking about completion percentage, and looking at his last game (Stockton) was 26 of 31 for four touchdowns, so he does a great job of making great decisions,” Gonzales said at his press conference on Monday, referencing Stockton’s performance in his most recent outing, a 43-35 win over Ole Miss.

“The main thing is for us is to hopefully be able to cause some pressure to him, and to cause pressure means being able to coverage in the back end as well.”

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Gonzales knows Stockton has plenty of help, too, starting with playmaking receiver Zachariah Branch, UGA’s clear No. 1 target with a team-high 35 receptions for 362 yards.

He’s extremely explosive …. watching him on film, he’s a guy that you can get the ball and he’s quick,” Gonzales said. “He’s got a great first step, accelerates from zero to five extremely fast. A playmaker. They’ve got a bunch on the perimeter.”

It will be the Bulldogs first game without receiver Colbie Young, who suffered a fractured leg on the opening series of UGA’s win over Ole Miss and is out indefinitely.

Georgia acquired Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas through the transfer portal and he’s considered among the top options to replace Young as a perimeter threat, despite his relatively limited production (4 catches, 54 yards) to this point of the season.

Smart indicated the Bulldogs have several other options, including the usage of additional tight ends in various alignments.

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“We know about their tight ends — they’ve had some good tight ends there,” Gonzales said.

“They’ve got some great athletes.”

Gonzales also noted how Georgia backs Chauncey Bowens and Nate Frazier are of similar size and production and run behind a big offensive line.

“They’ve got some playmakers on the perimeter,” Gonzales said, “but I know we’ve got some great players on the defensive side that are excited to go against them as well.”



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3 Chinese nationals arrested in Georgia for trying to buy $400K worth of black-market uranium

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3 Chinese nationals arrested in Georgia for trying to buy 0K worth of black-market uranium


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Authorities in the country of Georgia say they have disrupted a major nuclear smuggling attempt involving several Chinese nationals accused of trying to buy uranium on the black market, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) announced Saturday that three Chinese citizens were detained in Tbilisi while attempting to illegally purchase roughly 4.4 pounds of uranium for $400,000, according to the outlet.

Officials said the suspects were planning to traffic the nuclear material to China via Russia, the outlet reported. 

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“Three Chinese citizens have been detained in Tbilisi while attempting to illegally purchase 2 kilograms of nuclear material — uranium,” the agency said, according to the AP. 

UN NUCLEAR CHIEF SAYS IRAN HAS MATERIAL TO BUILD BOMBS, BUT NO PLAN TO DO SO

Officials arrest multiple Chinese nationals in Georgia over uranium trafficking plot. (State Security Service of Georgia)

Video footage released by the agency shows security officers in the Georgian capital seizing bottles containing what was identified as uranium and arresting multiple individuals at the scene.

IAEA CHIEF CALLS ISRAELI PRESIDENT, REPORTEDLY SAYS IRAN NUCLEAR FACILITY WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED

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two bottles of yellow uranium

Two bottles identified as uranium were confiscated over the weekend in Georgia’s Tbilisi.  (State Security Service of Georgia)

According to the SSSG, one of the suspects had overstayed his visa and was living in Georgia illegally, the AP said. He allegedly led efforts to locate and acquire the radioactive substance, even bringing in experts from abroad to assist, the outlet added. Other members of the group reportedly coordinated the operation from China.

The perpetrators were identified and detained while “negotiating the details of the illegal transaction,” the security service reportedly said.

The agency did not specify when the arrests occurred or provide the identities of the suspects.

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two officials escort suspect

Georgian officials escort a suspect after authorities foiled a uranium smuggling plot in Tbilisi. (State Security Service of Georgia)

The latest arrests follow a similar case in July, when Georgian authorities detained a foreign national and a Georgian citizen accused of planning to sell uranium worth $3 million. Officials said that material could have been used to construct explosive devices or carry out terrorist attacks.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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