SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – As Georgia lawmakers move closer to overhauling the state’s voting system ahead of 2028, disability advocates are pushing to make sure voters with disabilities are not left behind in the process. A special legislative committee tasked with recommending Georgia’s next statewide election system held one of its first substantive hearings last week at the state Capitol, hearing from election officials in Florida and Virginia about how their states handle hand-marked paper ballots and ballot-on-demand printing. Lawmakers are considering the shift after passing a bill during the June special session that makes hand-marked paper ballots the likely primary voting method in Georgia going forward. Georgia has been down this road before. The state made history in 2002 when it became the first in the nation to roll out a uniform, statewide electronic voting system The committee must submit its final recommendation to state lawmakers by Jan. 31, 2027, ahead of the 2028 election cycle. Among those who testified was Jessica Mathis, a Savannah-based disability advocate with the nonpartisan group REV UP Georgia. Mathis has cerebral palsy, which affects her hands and her handwriting. “If I had to fill out a paper ballot by hand, my ballot could be challenged or thrown out,” Mathis said. Mathis said Georgia’s current ballot-marking devices, which offer audio and large-print options, already work well for voters with disabilities. She is asking lawmakers to preserve that…
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