Switching to paper ballots before November’s election is the only way to ensure voting is secure and accurate, say plaintiffs trying to convince a federal judge to discard the Georgia’s electronic voting machines. The court filing was made Monday in a lawsuit from voting integrity advocates who sued to prevent the state from using its 27,000 touchscreen machines, which they say could be hacked without a trace. Attorneys for some of the plaintiffs wrote that it was “utterly ridiculous” for the state government to suggest changing to paper ballots would cause chaos. “The only change that a voter will notice as a result of this change is that, rather than touching an electronic screen, the voter will use a felt-tip pen to record his or her vote on a paper ballot and will place the paper ballot in a secure ballot box,” according to attorneys for the Coalition for Good Governance, an organization seeking transparent and verifiable elections.
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s attorneys had warned earlier this month that imposing paper ballots less than three months before the Nov. 6 general election could cost more than $13.4 million and lead to voter confusion, increased wait times and suppressed turnout. Kemp is a Republican running for Georgia governor against Democrat Stacey Abrams.
But state law allows paper ballots if electronic voting machines are compromised, wrote attorneys for a group of plaintiffs. And paper ballots are already used by voters who submit absentee ballots by mail.
Full Article: Georgia Election 2018: Judge told paper ballots are feasible.