RC- you’re a respected member of the GA FReeper community so please understand my reply is offered with due respect.
1. Regarding 2020. Even with a ballot only containing a bar or QR code, a full audit of those ballots would include rescanning them to show who was voted for. I agree it does NOT guarantee that how you marked your ballot was represented in that QR code. A full audit of a precinct or county WOULD should if the reported results aligned to scanned results. Net: 2020 was badly flawed; changes for 2022 and 2024 were enacted.
Note well that 2020 mail in/ absentee ballots did not have a QR or bar code containing “your vote.” The voter marked up those ballots. The voter was required to sign the ballot and also the envelope the ballot was sealed in. ‘Someone’ from Fulton county testified/admitted that thousands of signatures on those ballots were not verified. IIRC, Fulton county also deleted records and images contrary GA election law. “Mistakes were made” and responsible parties got an official reprimand in their file. Again, 2020 was badly flawed to put it mildly.
Time passes and good laws were enacted.
As you observed for this springs primaries and any runoff, the printed ballot shows the following:
1. Banner at the top includes the party ballot selected. In this case, Republican, Democrat or Non-partisan. No voter PII is displayed or on the ballot.
2. A printed list of all your ballot markings, that is everything you marked a vote for/against. This allows you to check/review your ballot one more time prior to scanning it. It also explicitly enables a full forensic audit to confirm that marked ballots resulted in matching scanned vote tallies. The dreaded QR code is there, but at least there IS now a valid audit pathway. Note well for all elections after 2025 the QR code is replaced by Machine and Human readable text text, likely to be filled in ovals next to your selections. Don’t foresee changes for what the voter sees on the big ballot marking devices- the tablets. But the printed ballot loses the QR code. Doesn’t guarantee that it scans legitimately, but a full forensic audit can now be accomplished by humans with off the shelf tech that can OCR text and ovals, QUICKLY, without using the tablulators/scanners.
Note well: for 2022 and beyond the completion of the paper tapes and the tabulation of those results was/is required. The paper results must match the machine results, and a prompt audit can confirm that results from a review of ballot images matches the digital machine results, and the numbers on the tapes. On top.of this for 2024 the managers and tabulator leads must complete a detailed chain of custody document demonstrating all required forms, paper tapes, and disk drives, with seal numbers were completed and turned it. Lastly the number of voters and votes from the hourly counts (checkins, ballots marked and printed, and ballot tabulated, spoiled and provisional must match the numbers on the chain of custody docs. By the way the tapes now print the serial number of the tabulator.)
The effect of all this is that any and all precinct locations, rolling up to counties and the state as a whole is/are completely auditable, transparently. Including absentee ballots turned in to the county office or mailed in.
THE KEYs to me, for GA 2024 are (1) monitor Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb, Bibb, Athens-Clarke, Chatham, and Richmond counties closely. Confirm ALL required data, images and forms are properly sequestered and retained PRIOR to certifying results from those counties. (2) Resolutely demand signature verification and ballot/address validity for all absentee/mail-in ballots. Monitor this process and prevent any shenanigans. [After 2025, all counties must report absentee ballots within 2 hours of poll close or those votes cannot be part of the certified election]
(3) Have the audit request/demand documents ready for those counties for timely filing without concern of missing the election certification window. (4) continue the process of purging GA voter rolls, despite the sound and fury of the Left.
In my opinion, the 2024 process (unlike 2020) is good enough that if we can demand the audits, and conduct them well, that the multiple data trails are in place to (a) detect cheating (b) indict the poll officials responsible down the the poll location level, and (c) prevent bad/fraudulent votes from affecting the election, or (d) immediately know which politicians and judges are complicit in an attempt steal by ignoring or subverting law.
Please excuse typos and omissions. Submitted from mobile. Took me a minute 😉
Probably took many more than just “one minute” to write your answer. 8<)
Thank you.
Remember too: Biden’s “winning total” in 2020 came in hours after the polls closed in every county with a republican county voter registration officer.
Atlanta-Fulton County? Its nearby blue-dominated counties and the GROPElite-democrat party dominated GA Sec of State office? Later, only after hours of closed door operations.
Afterwords. All excuses.