ATLANTA — The Georgia State Election Board is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate concerns about the state’s voting system less than two weeks before early in-person voting begins.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, State Election Board Executive Director James Mills raised concerns about the use of QR codes for ballot tabulation and potential software vulnerabilities.
Mills is asking the Justice Department to require an update to the state’s voting machine software and prohibit the use of QR codes for ballot tabulation. Election officials have said updating the software is a months-long process and cannot be completed before voting begins.
Emory University law professor Dr. John Acevedo said he was surprised by the timing of the request.
“It is surprising given how close to the election we are,” Acevedo said.
Acevedo said Georgia’s voting system has been used in several elections without major issues.
“They are definitely casting doubt on the Georgia system which has now been used for several elections without major incidents or problems,” Acevedo said.
Acevedo also said eliminating the use of QR codes could require changes to the tabulation process.
“Because then it would require either a hand tabulation or a follow up tabulation as well,” Acevedo said.
It remains unclear whether the Justice Department will act on the State Election Board’s request.
A spokesperson for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger criticized the timing of the letter, saying, “People who are serious about election security don’t inject chaos in the 11th hour.”
Early in-person voting in Georgia begins Oct. 13.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.
