SB 3: Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee; establish

In plain language

What the bill does

Who it affects

Why it matters

Key provisions

From the bill

Discussed in meetings (11)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

1. Senate Rules Committee, June 18, 2026

   From 0:07:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 3 would establish an Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee, expand risk-limiting audits and defer implementation of earlier election legislation until January 1, 2028. Asked by the chair how the audits would expand, the sponsor said the bill would move beyond two audits to cover major races, including governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general, plus another statewide office. The sponsor described the audits as an existing tool for verifying election accuracy. A committee member selected the bill for the calendar, and members voted on a motion to place it there. The chair reported three opposing votes but did not give an affirmative total or explicitly announce whether the motion passed.

2. Senate floor session, June 20, 2026 (legislative day 3)

   From 2:45:33 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would create an election-equipment standards committee, move an existing election-law implementation date to January 1, 2028, and require additional audits. The majority leader offered an amendment requiring manual recounts of the top two races on every ballot before certification, or the sole race when only one appears. The majority leader said this would strengthen counting and public confidence. One opponent said it would impose unnecessary administrative costs without improving security. A second opponent criticized exclusion of Democrats from drafting the bill and limits on debate. The minority leader said minority-party representation on the equipment committee was needed to build trust. The member presenting the minority report warned of county staffing costs, certification delays and insufficient safeguards when hand and machine counts differ. That member said a narrower bill addressing QR codes could have won bipartisan support and questioned whether the broader proposal exceeded the special session’s scope. The sponsor denied excluding anyone and said the bill would secure current and future elections. Motions to table and adjourn failed; the Senate limited debate 33 to 19. The amendment and amended bill each passed 33 to 19.

3. House floor session, June 20, 2026 (legislative day 3)

   From 2:32:39 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House First Readers)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: Before recess, the chair said majority and minority leaders had agreed to suspend the rules so SB 3 could receive its first reading and be assigned to Governmental Affairs after arriving from the Senate. The chair emphasized that this would be the only business after recess and said the arrangement would keep the House on schedule. When the House returned, the clerk read the bill’s caption describing changes to election and primary law. The chair assigned it to Governmental Affairs. No presentation, substantive debate, or passage vote occurred.

4. House Governmental Affairs Committee, June 22, 2026

   From 0:12:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 3 would create a nine-member committee to report voting-equipment standards by January 31, 2027, expand audits that check machine results against paper ballots, and delay the QR-code ban until January 1, 2028. The sponsor described a Senate floor amendment requiring hand counts of the top two races before certification, regardless of margin, as a confidence-building check. The chair and sponsor confirmed it would apply to the July congressional special election. Members questioned which count would control discrepancies, which certification deadline applied, and whether counties could finish. The sponsor said both counts should be verified, existing deadlines remained, and the bill did not address late completion. One member suggested limiting manual recounts to close races after certification, but offered no amendment. A member cited Fulton County’s estimate of $500,000 per election and questioned the missing fiscal analysis. The sponsor and chair cited $15 million budgeted to assist counties. A county-government witness questioned ongoing funding. Election officials opposed the amendment. Greene County’s election director said three teams needed two days to count 12,000 ballots for one contest. Other witnesses warned of errors, delays and lost confidence. A visiting legislator and hand-count supporters cited cases they said exposed machine errors; a Voter GA witness supported the amendment. Legislative counsel said court precedent likely allowed legislative discretion over the session’s scope. A retired attorney disagreed. Another witness sought bipartisan equipment-committee membership. The chair anticipated a possible substitute and further meeting. No vote occurred.

5. House Governmental Affairs Committee, June 23, 2026

   From 0:15:32 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenting chair said the substitute would have an election-equipment committee recommend standards rather than dictate them, addressing separation-of-powers concerns. The chair said it would require state-funded hand recounts when the top two statewide races, typically governor and lieutenant governor, have margins of half a percentage point or less, and expand risk-limiting audits. The Senate sponsor supported the compromise. One member questioned hand-count accuracy and asked which count would control. The presenting chair said existing law governs corrections and recertification. Responding to timing questions, presenters said counties have six days to certify, mandated counts must be completed within the 17-day statewide certification deadline, and existing candidate-requested recount rights remain. Another member proposed requiring equipment recommendations to be based on hand-marked paper ballots printed on demand. A member asked whether this favored particular vendors and whether the Senate agreed. The amendment's proposer denied favoring vendors but said they did not know which vendors could meet the requirements. Another member argued the amendment exceeded the special session's QR-code purpose. The presenting chair supported it, and the Senate sponsor expected Senate support. It passed by voice vote. A second amendment would remove the mandatory hand-recount section, with matching title changes. It failed 7 to 13 after a show-of-hands vote. The committee approved the substitute as amended by voice vote.

6. House floor session, June 23, 2026 (legislative day 5)

   From 0:52:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, Special Session, p. 184

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenting committee chair said the substitute would delay an existing voting-system requirement until January 1, 2028, allowing current equipment through this election cycle. The presenter described a joint committee to recommend replacement equipment by January 31, additional audits using ballot samples, and state-funded hand recounts when governor or lieutenant governor races have margins of half a percent or less. The presenter said the current secretary of state could not participate in the committee, but election staff could advise it. Two opposing members warned of human error, manipulation, worker pressure and uncertainty about which count would control. One said the threshold could cover roughly 20,000 votes. Two minority-report speakers questioned hand-count accuracy, cost and delays; one cited error rates of 9% to 25%, while another challenged wording that appeared to dictate election margins and questioned consistency across 159 counties. The presenter answered that existing procedures would resolve discrepancies, neither count automatically controlled, and the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials supported the bill. Another supporting chair said the substitute narrowed hand counts and moved them after certification to allow more time. Supporters warned that inaction could lead to broader hand counting. The House adopted the substitute, passed the bill 94 to 79 and approved immediate Senate transmission 144 to 28. The chair later announced Senate passage.

7. House Rules Committee, June 23, 2026

   From 0:03:19 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the substitute for SB 3 would create a committee of legislators and gubernatorial appointees to recommend voting-system standards by January 31, allow nonlegislative members daily payments, and bar the current secretary of state's participation. The presenter said it would replace broader hand-count requirements with state-funded hand recounts when governor or lieutenant governor general-election margins are within 0.5%, add five or six sampling audits depending on the election, and move implementation of earlier voting-system legislation to January 1, 2028. Asked about costs, the presenter said there was no fiscal note or cost estimate, but $15 million was budgeted to assist counties. The presenter said future lawmakers could reconsider requirements after a new system arrives. A second member questioned the lack of guaranteed bipartisan membership and the secretary's exclusion. The presenter trusted appointing authorities and said the state election director could advise. A third member questioned whether recounts fell within the special session's scope and risked legal challenges. The presenter cited legal counsel's support but could not assess a potential challenge. A fourth member questioned unclear rules for resolving recount discrepancies. The presenter said existing law leaves unresolved discrepancies to local election superintendents and acknowledged possible future clarification. The committee placed the substitute on that day's calendar under modified structure by voice vote, with opposition heard and no count stated.

8. Senate floor session, June 23, 2026 (legislative day 5)

   From 2:24:49 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The Senate considered a House substitute. The sponsor said it would create a committee to recommend equipment using hand-marked ballots printed on demand, allow input from Secretary of State staff, expand audits and require hand recounts for close contests at the top of the ballot. The clerk also described state reimbursement for recounts and county grants. One member urged passage to avoid litigation over a July 1 QR-code deadline. The minority leader proposed removing hand-count provisions and guaranteeing minority-party representation, citing a Rice University study to question hand-count accuracy and cost. Another member supported guaranteed bipartisan appointments. Amendment 1A, adding appointments by both chambers’ minority leaders, passed without objection, but the broader Amendment 1 failed, 19 to 32, leaving those changes out. Members questioned county costs and the absence of a fiscal estimate. Two members said the recount wording mistakenly prohibited margins above one-half percentage point. One supported passage expecting courts to reject that wording; another urged correcting it immediately. The sponsor disputed that interpretation and said the language properly triggered recounts. Minority members objected to relying on appointment assurances rather than a legal guarantee of representation. The Senate agreed to the House substitute, 36 to 16.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, June 17, 2026 (legislative day 1), 1:27:55
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, June 18, 2026 (legislative day 2), 0:22:45
• Read aloud: House floor session, June 22, 2026 (legislative day 4), 1:09:01

Status timeline

Sponsors

Votes

Topics