Summary
SB 568 is a rushed and unworkable overhaul of our state election systems that threatens the 2026 general election by forcing counties into an impossible new voting system while making it easier to purge eligible voters and harder for ordinary Georgians to cast a ballot. The changes required by this bill would likely lead to chaos in the upcoming election impacting voters and candidates across the state of Georgia. The burden on local Boards of Elections will be onerous especially at this late stage of the voting processes. There is currently no additional funds to manage these new requirements.
Description:
SB 568 does the following
- It mandates a complete statewide shift to hand-marked ballot-processing systems and entirely new hardware by July 2026, just months before a major general election and with no funding to counties to implement these changes.
- It restricts voter access by ending the ability to vote at any early voting location in one’s county, forcing voters to use only one assigned site. This change will create longer lines and new barriers for workers, rural voters, seniors, students, and anyone needing flexibility.
- It politicizes election audits by allowing political leaders to choose which statewide races are audited and by reducing the role of independent election officials. It mandates hand recounts in close races, which slow down results and increase human error.
- It further expands the threat of mass voter challenges by imposing civil fines up to $10,000 per voter if counties do not quickly purge challenged registrations. Combined with new
- requirements to publish real-time lists of everyone who voted on election night, the bill creates a powerful pipeline for voter intimidation and wrongful removals.
Additional points
This bill requires that after July 1, 2026, hand marked ballots must be used in all Georgia elections. This means a total overhaul of equipment and paper ballots prior to the November 2026 election. The November 2026 election will have local, state and federal elections which will mean different paper ballots for each precinct or for those precincts with split districts on demand printing of ballots for each voter. This means new printers capable of printing on-demand ballots. New scanners will be required to read these new ballots. This equipment purchase may only be able to be handled by one vendor to meet the timeline required by the legislation.
This bill expands the authority of the State Election Board granting them oversight, currently well-managed by the elected Georgia Secretary of State and other elected members of the Georgia legislative and executive branches of state government. The State Election Board is an appointed and not elected body. This bill removes the Secretary of State from oversight of the requirements of this legislation. The bill also adds requirements of audits of all ballots (not a random sample) when any election is for President, United States Senator, or a state-wide election.
Action:
Contact your State Senator and Members of the Senate Rules Committee urging them to stop the bill. SB 568 is currently fast tracking through the Senate processes. We are recommending downloading the 5 calls app from the Apple store for IOS devices or the Google Play Store for Android and calling your Senator.