Georgia
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.”
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
ATLANTA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University Hospital are monitoring two Georgia residents following a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that resulted in three deaths.
Atlanta hospital monitoring
What we know:
A couple returned to Georgia last week and was moved Monday to Emory University Hospital for specialized monitoring. One of the passengers showed mild symptoms of the virus but has since tested negative. Both individuals were passengers on the MV Hondius, a ship where the Andes variant of hantavirus was identified.
The CDC confirmed the patients are being kept in a biocontainment unit designed for highly infectious diseases. Doctors at Emory said one individual is receiving treatment while the other is being monitored, though they emphasize there is no risk to the general public.
Monitoring and travel status
What we don’t know:
Health officials have not confirmed if the passengers will be cleared to leave the hospital or return home before a 42-day period is over. While one test was negative, authorities have not said how many additional tests or how much more observation time is needed before the couple is fully cleared. The exact names and ages of the Georgia residents have not been released due to privacy concerns.
Cruise ship outbreak
The backstory:
The outbreak began in April on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius during a voyage from Argentina. Nine cases have been confirmed and three people died after the virus spread, likely through human-to-human transmission of the Andes strain. This specific strain is known for causing Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe respiratory illness.
Low public risk
Big picture view:
While the Andes variant is serious, the CDC and World Health Organization assess the risk to the general public as low. The virus typically spreads through close contact with bodily fluids or respiration rather than everyday social contact. Federal and state health departments are using established protocols to manage the repatriation and monitoring of the 18 Americans who were on the ship.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered from FOX 5 reporter Kevyn Stewart, who attended a news conference with the CDC and Emory University Hospital, as well as official statements from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the World Health Organization.
Georgia and Florida State appear to be honoring their word in that they will end up playing each other.
According to Brett McMurphy of On3, Florida State athletic director Mike Alford has said Georgia and Florida State will play at a neutral site game in 2028.
While Georgia has not yet commented on the news, Alford also revealed that there are seven possible neutral venues they are eyeing for the game.
Those venues are Atlanta, Nashville, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte and New Orleans.
With the exception of Orlando, Georgia has some history — or a future game — with all of the possible venues.
Below, we rank the possible venues from Georgia’s perspective as to where the game could be played.
Georgia-Florida State possible neutral site games
- Atlanta: The most obvious choice from a Georgia perspective. The Bulldogs have consistently played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including neutral site games against North Carolina, Oregon, Clemson and Georgia Tech. The 2028 game was set to be a Georgia home game, so making the short trip to Atlanta could be a reasonable consolation.
- Charlotte: Of the non-Atlanta options, this one is the closest to Athens. Georgia has history in this venue, as it beat Clemson to open the 2021 season in the venue. This option may not be high on Florida State’s list of preferences for the game.
- New Orleans: Georgia does not have a great recent history in this building, as its last two seasons have ended in the Caesars Superdome. One thing worth noting is that this game will be played early in the season, possibly in Week 0. New Orleans, Atlanta and Nashville are the only stadiums with Dome options, which could be beneficial with the heat.
- Nashville: What makes Nashville’s inclusion on this list interesting is that the Tennessee Titans will have opened up their new stadium in 2027, giving Nashville a state-of-the-art facility. This stadium will also be enclosed, providing shelter against the heat. Working against this selection is that Georgia is already scheduled to make one trip to Vanderbilt in 2028, as Georgia faces Vanderbilt in Nashville that season.
- Orlando: In terms of possible stadiums, Orlando is at the bottom. Georgia also already has one neutral site game scheduled to be played in Florida in 2028, as the Bulldogs will take on Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. Maybe a possible weekend at Disney could excite some fans about this possible venue.
- Miami: The last time these two met was in Miami, with Georgia rolling to a 63-3 win. Florida State has played Miami on an annual basis as it is one of the biggest games in the conference. Florida State has played at Miami in even years, which would be the case in 2028.
- Tampa: Georgia will make a trip to Tampa in 2027, when the Bulldogs take on the rival Florida Gators in their annual rivalry game. SEC media days will be in Tampa in 2026.
GEORGIA, I have a question,
Am I wrong in believing that babies do not belong at wineries, breweries, festivals, and other adult spaces? I know this is going to make people angry, but I finally snapped this weekend.
My husband and I went to a local winery for a relaxing afternoon. This place literally advertises itself as a quiet adults’ getaway. Wine tastings, acoustic music, people sitting around talking. It is not Pizza Ranch.
About twenty minutes after we sat down, a couple showed up with a baby that looked maybe 8 months old. The second they sat down, the baby started screaming. Not crying. Full on shrieking every few minutes over EVERYTHING. Wind blew? Crying. Someone laughed too loudly? Crying. A dog walked by? Crying.
The parents did absolutely nothing except bounce the stroller and say things like “aww, someone’s overstimulated.” Meanwhile, everyone around them kept looking at each other because the entire atmosphere was ruined. One couple actually got up and moved.
After almost an hour of this, I finally said, probably louder than I should have, “Maybe don’t bring a baby somewhere meant for adults until it learns not to cry every time the wind blows.”
The mom looked horrified. The dad called me rude. But I genuinely do not understand why some parents insist on bringing babies to breweries, wineries, upscale restaurants, and festivals where people specifically go to relax away from screaming kids.
What do you think?
LOVES KIDS – JUST NOT EVERYWHERE
Dear NOT EVERYWHERE,
While many believe kids should be allowed everywhere an adult goes, I tend to agree with you. If it’s advertised as adults-only, you are justified in being upset. Some people don’t realize you have to sacrifice certain things when you have children, at least until they are older. However, maybe be a bit more polite next time?
Love, GEORGIA
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