In a rare display of unity, Georgia’s Republicans and Democrats are joining forces to advocate for a significant change in the state’s voting system. Both parties are urging the Georgia election board to abandon electronic voting machines in favor of hand-marked paper ballots.
The call for change stems from growing concerns about the vulnerability of electronic voting systems to hacking and manipulation. Jeanne Dufort, chair of the Morgan County Democrat Party, summed up the issue succinctly: “It’s madness, actually, to go into a system and have all of our ballots relying on that.”
These concerns aren’t unfounded. Dr. Rich DeMillo, founder of Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, points to a troubling pattern of cybersecurity breaches in recent years.
He notes, “If you look at the series of breaches, global breaches of cybersecurity systems over the last two years, it’s story after story like this where some vulnerability in a system was ignored.”
The push for paper ballots comes in the wake of controversies surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Several Georgia counties using Dominion Voting Systems’ software reported glitches during the election.
Additionally, security footage revealed unauthorized access to election software in Coffee County by supporters of former President Trump.
These incidents have heightened fears about potential election interference. As Dufort explains, “We believe the experts who tell us that bad guys, foreign and domestic, are interested in overturning election results or interfering with them. And we absolutely believe they now have really good tools to do that.”
The move to paper ballots isn’t just about preventing hacking. It’s also about restoring public trust in the election process. When votes are cast on paper, they leave a physical trail that can be easily audited and recounted if necessary. This transparency can help allay fears of manipulation and boost confidence in election outcomes.
Critics might argue that paper ballots are a step backward in our digital age. However, when it comes to something as crucial as safeguarding our democracy, sometimes simpler is better. Paper ballots are harder to hack en masse and provide a tangible record of each vote cast.
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Georgia’s bipartisan approach to this issue is commendable and should serve as a model for other states. The integrity of our elections is too important to leave vulnerable to potential cyber threats or other interference. This is a significant step towards ensuring that every vote is counted accurately and that our electoral process is trustworthy and transparent.
