Below is a practical, step-by-step roadmap for how Georgia could move from the current Dominion ballot-marking device (BMD) system to hand-marked paper ballots (with scanners), in a way that’s legally clean, operationally realistic, and auditable.

A key reality up front: Georgia already has paper (the BMD prints a paper ballot), but if you mean “ditch the touchscreen/BMD as the default and have most voters mark paper by hand,” that requires changing state law, not just Election Board rules. Recent coverage makes that point pretty bluntly. (AP News)

Step-by-step plan for Georgia to switch to hand-marked paper ballots

1) Define the target system (so everyone argues about the same thing)

Write a plain-English “target state” spec that answers:

• Default method: hand-marked optical-scan paper ballots

• Accessibility: ballot-marking devices available for voters who need them

• Tabulation: precinct scanners + central count backup

• Ballot production: ballot-on-demand printers (reduces pre-print complexity)

This avoids the classic reform failure mode: “paper ballots” meaning five different things to five different groups.

2) Change Georgia law that mandates uniform BMD voting

Georgia’s State Election Board has been told (including via court action and legal arguments) that big policy shifts are the legislature’s job, not an agency rulemaking workaround. (AP News)

So, the General Assembly would need to pass a bill that:

• Makes hand-marked paper ballots the default for in-person voting

• Preserves BMDs for accessibility (ADA/HAVA alignment)

• Updates “uniformity” language so uniformity = paper ballot system, not uniform BMD use (there are references in Georgia materials to uniform BMD voting expectations). (Cherokee GA Votes)

3) Set a realistic transition date (and don’t pick the worst possible moment)

Pick an implementation date that gives counties time to procure, train, and test—ideally not right before a presidential election. Georgia lawmakers have discussed equipment-change timing pressures in the run-up to coming cycles. (Georgia Recorder)

A common approach:

• Pilot + local elections first

• Statewide rollout after one full election cycle of operational learning

4) Inventory what Georgia already owns and what must be replaced/added

You don’t start by buying shiny new stuff—you start by counting what’s in the warehouse.

Inventory:

• Current Dominion components in use (BMDs, scanners, election management system)

• What can be retained (some scanners/EMS may or may not be compatible depending on certifications and configuration)

• What must be added:

  • Ballot-on-demand printers

  • Privacy booths designed for hand-marking

  • Extra precinct scanners (or throughput planning)

  • Secure ballot boxes and transport containers

5) Address the Dominion contract and procurement path

Georgia would need a contract/legal review and then either:

• Amend/exit current agreements where allowed, or

• Let terms expire and procure a paper-ballot-centered system

Georgia’s Dominion deal dates back to the 2019 award and related contract documents exist publicly. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)

This step is where “simple idea” meets “grown-up paperwork.”

6) Select the equipment model and certify it properly

Georgia would need:

• State certification through the Secretary of State’s process

• Alignment with federal guidelines and security practices (EAC VVSG context), plus state testing/logic & accuracy protocols

Procure in a way that’s:

• Competitive

• Transparent

• Supportable long-term (maintenance, parts, service-level agreements)

7) Rebuild election procedures around paper as the primary record

This is the unglamorous, critical part:

• Chain of custody updates

• Ballot accounting (ballots issued, spoiled, cast, scanned, secured)

• Storage and retention procedures

• Recount triggers and recount workflows

Georgia already requires emergency paper ballots at polling places and procedures for having enough blank paper ballots in emergencies—those provisions become “Plan B becomes Plan A,” but with a much more robust operating manual. (Georgia Rules and Regulations)

8) Run pilots and stress tests (throughput is the silent killer)

Hand-marked ballots can be very smooth—or can bottleneck if you under-resource scanners/booths.

Pilot goals:

• Average voter time end-to-end

• Scanner capacity during rush periods

• Spoiled ballot rates and how well poll workers handle them

• Accessibility flow (BMD usage when needed)

• End-of-night closing procedures

9) Train like it’s a franchise rollout (consistent, repeatable, tested)

Build training that is:

• Modular (poll workers, managers, techs, transport teams)

• Scenario-based (scanner jams, ballot damage, long lines, printer issues)

• Measurable (short assessments, sign-offs)

Also: update voter education materials (sample ballots, “how to mark correctly,” what happens if you overvote, etc.).

10) Fund it (state + counties) with a boring, credible budget

A serious plan includes:

• One-time capital costs (printers, scanners, booths)

• Ongoing costs (paper, printing, maintenance, storage)

• Staffing/training costs

• Contingency stock

Federal election security/HAVA-style grants sometimes help, but Georgia should budget assuming state + county funding is required.

11) Roll out statewide with a dual-system contingency (temporarily)

For the first statewide cycle, many jurisdictions keep a fallback:

• Extra emergency ballots

• Backup scanners / central count plan

• Clear rules for “scanner down” procedures

This is standard resilience planning—because elections are allergic to surprises.

12) Post-election audits and continuous improvement (make it boringly trustworthy)

After rollout:

• Publish performance metrics (wait times, spoilage rates, scanner error rates)

• Improve procedures

• Tighten audits and public reporting

If you want trust, you want the process to feel like an airport checklist: not exciting, just consistently correct.

What would be the fastest path?

Legislation first, then pilots, then procurement, then statewide rollout. Without the law change, Georgia remains largely locked into BMD-as-default, as even recent State Election Board debates have highlighted. (AP News)