Judge for yourself! You will see the benefits of Georgia’s new secure paper-ballot system in a few weeks, when early voting begins for the Presidential Preference Primary. 

As the person in charge of running elections in this county, I unequivocally support this new system.

Paper ballots are secure. They can be used in a recount and they allow the system to be audited.

Let me explain why I’ve become such a fan of this paper-ballot system.

As it became time to update Georgia’s voting machines after nearly two decades of use, a bipartisan panel of experts, the Secure Accessible & Fair Elections Commission, held multiple hearings, reviewed information from voting-system vendors, witnessed demonstrations of different types of voting systems and researched post-election audit procedures. 

Then it recommended to the General Assembly a system of ballot-marking devices that produce paper ballots.

The reason the SAFE Commission didn’t recommend hand-marked ballots was because “The Commission believes that moving from one form of touchscreen voting to another will be an easier transition for Georgia voters than it would be to move to hand-marked paper ballots.”

The report noted the voter preference for touchscreen voting after more than 40 million votes had been cast on the first-generation machines.

People like me, my staff and poll workers, told the commission of concerns with hand-marked ballots’ cost and possible confusion. 

“County election officials also testified moving to a hand-marked paper ballot system would require major changes for poll workers and would lead to increased risk of voters not getting the correct ballot.”

With the commission’s recommendations in hand, the General Assembly did its own research, examining various types of ballot-marking systems, holding public hearings and engaging in spirited debate before passing – by a large, bipartisan vote – funds and requirements for ballot-marking devices just as the commission had.

The system being rolled out resulted from an open bidding process among vendors meeting the legislature’s and commission’s specifications and those of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. A multiagency panel selected the bid with the best value, and the system was then evaluated and certified by Secretary Raffensperger.

As the SAFE Commission noted, using touchscreen voting resulted in Georgia having among the country’s lowest rates of voter errors, either skipping over races or trying to vote for two candidates in the same race. It’s impossible to determine voters’ intentions when there are under or over votes, something hand-marked ballots are especially prone to.

The ballot-marking devices can display in different languages, adjust the font size and contrast for easier viewing and make other adjustments to accommodate voters who are blind or have limited mobility. In other words, they are easier for everyone to use.

The few critics who insist on hand-marked ballots cry that ballot-marking devices can be hacked. Well, anything can be hacked: a phone, bank account, car – and even hand-marked ballots.

Hacking ballot-marking devices requires considerable expertise and physical access. On the other hand, hacking hand-marked ballots takes comparatively little sophistication, and our nation’s history includes many instances of ballot-box stuffing – even in Jimmy Carter’s first legislative race.

The Secretary of State’s Office employs stringent measures to safeguard against hacking. The equipment must always be stored in secure locations. Anyone using any part of the system undergoes background screening and must pass cybersecurity instruction. No sensitive information is transmitted via the internet and ballot-marking devices are never connected to the internet.

The office partners with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the Georgia Cyber Center at Augusta University, the Center for Election Innovation & Research, the National Association of Secretaries of State and other organizations of national standing. These partnerships ensure that Georgia is using best practices and it is informed of the latest information on threats.

I am convinced that everything is being done to make sure that every Georgia voter has access to the voting booth, assurance of a secret ballot and the security of knowing it will be counted accurately in a manner that is fair to every voter and candidate. You’ll be convinced, too, this March.

Deb Cox is Lowndes County supervisor of elections.