GA Code § 21-2-286 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 21 - Elections|Chapter 2 - Elections and Primaries Generally|Article 8 - Voting by Ballot|§ 21-2-286. Printing Specifications, Numbering, and Binding of Ballots

  In any primary or election, the superintendent shall cause the ballots to be printed in the form prescribed by this chapter.     Paper ballots other than those printed for optical scanning voting systems shall be at least six inches long and four inches wide and shall have a margin extending beyond any printing thereon. They shall be printed with the same kind of type, which shall not be smaller than the size known as "brevier" or "eight-point body," upon white paper of uniform quality, without any impression or mark to distinguish one from another, and with sufficient thickness to prevent the printed matter from showing through, except that ballots being used in primaries held by more than one party may be of different colors or may have colored stripes or blocks to distinguish the ballots if the parties so agree. Each ballot shall be attached to a name stub, and all the ballots for the same precinct shall be bound together in books of 25, 50, or 100, in such manner that each ballot may be detached from its stub and removed separately. The ballots for each party to be used at a primary shall be bound separately. The name stubs of the ballots shall be consecutively numbered; and, in the case of primary ballots, the number shall be preceded by an initial or abbreviation designating the party name. The number and initial or abbreviation which appears upon the stub shall also be printed in the upper portion of the front of the ballot, separated from the remainder of the ballot by a horizontal perforated line so as to constitute a number strip and so prepared that the upper portion of the front of the ballot containing the number may be detached from the ballot before it is deposited in the ballot box. The number strip on the ballot shall also have the following words printed thereon: "Tear off before depositing ballot in ballot box."   Ballots for direct recording electronic voting systems shall be designed as prescribed by the Secretary of State to ensure easy reading by electors.   Ballots printed by an electronic ballot marker shall be designed as prescribed by the Secretary of State to ensure ease of reading by electors, provided that each ballot shall have the name and designation of the precinct printed at the top.      (Ga. L. 1941, p. 324, § 1; Code 1933, § 34-1104, enacted by Ga. L. 1964, Ex. Sess., p. 26, § 1; Ga. L. 1969, p. 329, § 13; Ga. L. 1982, p. 1512, § 5; Ga. L. 1984, p. 1, § 9; Ga. L. 1987, p. 1360, § 13; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 598, § 2-9; Ga. L. 2003, p. 517, § 26; Ga. L. 2019, p. 7, § 16/HB 316; Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 21A/SB 202.)    The 2019 amendment,  effective April 2, 2019, added paragraph (b)(3).    The 2021 amendment,  effective March 25, 2021, added the proviso at the end of paragraph (b)(3).   Editor's notes.   - Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 1/SB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "This Act shall be known and may be cited as the 'Election Integrity Act of 2021."'   Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 2/SB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "The General Assembly finds and declares that:   "(1) Following the 2018 and 2020 elections, there was a significant lack of confidence in Georgia election systems, with many electors concerned about allegations of rampant voter suppression and many electors concerned about allegations of rampant voter fraud;   "(2) Many Georgia election processes were challenged in court, including the subjective signature-matching requirements, by Georgians on all sides of the political spectrum before and after the 2020 general election;   "(3) The stress of the 2020 elections, with a dramatic increase in absentee-by-mail ballots and pandemic restrictions, demonstrated where there were opportunities to update existing processes to reduce the burden on election officials and boost voter confidence;   "(4) The changes made in this legislation in 2021 are designed to address the lack of elector confidence in the election system on all sides of the political spectrum, to reduce the burden on election officials, and to streamline the process of conducting elections in Georgia by promoting uniformity in voting. Several examples will help explain how these goals are achieved;   "(5) The broad discretion allowed to local officials for advance voting dates and hours led to significant variations across the state in total number of hours of advance voting, depending on the county. More than 100 counties have never offered voting on Sunday and many counties offered only a single day of weekend voting. Requiring two Saturday voting days and two optional Sunday voting days will dramatically increase the total voting hours for voters across the State of Georgia, and all electors in Georgia will have access to multiple opportunities to vote in person on the weekend for the first time;   "(6) Some counties in 2020 received significant infusions of grant funding for election operations, while other counties received no such funds. Promoting uniformity in the distribution of funds to election operations will boost voter confidence and ensure that there is no political advantage conferred by preferring certain counties over others in the distribution of funds;   "(7) Elections in Georgia are administered by counties, but that can lead to problems for voters in counties with dysfunctional election systems. Counties with long-term problems of lines, problems with processing of absentee ballots, and other challenges in administration need accountability, but state officials are limited in what they are able to do to address those problems. Ensuring there is a mechanism to address local election problems will promote voter confidence and meet the goal of uniformity;   "(8) Elections are a public process and public participation is encouraged by all involved, but the enthusiasm of some outside groups in sending multiple absentee ballot applications in 2020, often with incorrectly filled-in voter information, led to significant confusion by electors. Clarifying the rules regarding absentee ballot applications will build elector confidence while not sacrificing the opportunities for electors to participate in the process;   "(9) The lengthy absentee ballot process also led to elector confusion, including electors who were told they had already voted when they arrived to vote in person. Creating a definite period of absentee voting will assist electors in understanding the election process while also ensuring that opportunities to vote are not diminished, especially when many absentee ballots issued in the last few days before the election were not successfully voted or were returned late;   "(10) Opportunities for delivering absentee ballots to a drop box were first created by the State Election Board as a pandemic response. The drop boxes created by rule no longer existed in Georgia law when the emergency rules that created them expired. The General Assembly considered a variety of options and constructed a system that allows the use of drop boxes, while also ensuring the security of the system and providing options in emergency situations;   "(11) The lengthy nine-week runoffs in 2020 were exhausting for candidates, donors, and electors. By adding ranked choice voting for military and overseas voters, the run-off period can be shortened to a more manageable period for all involved, easing the burden on election officials and on electors;   "(12) Counting absentee ballots in 2020 took an incredibly long time in some counties. Creating processes for early processing and scanning of absentee ballots will promote elector confidence by ensuring that results are reported quickly;   "(13) The sanctity of the precinct was also brought into sharp focus in 2020, with many groups approaching electors while they waited in line. Protecting electors from improper interference, political pressure, or intimidation while waiting in line to vote is of paramount importance to protecting the election system and ensuring elector confidence;   "(14) Ballot duplication for provisional ballots and other purposes places a heavy burden on election officials. The number of duplicated ballots has continued to rise dramatically from 2016 through 2020. Reducing the number of duplicated ballots will significantly reduce the burden on election officials and creating bipartisan panels to conduct duplication will promote elector confidence;   "(15) Electors voting out of precinct add to the burden on election officials and lines for other electors because of the length of time it takes to process a provisional ballot in a precinct. Electors should be directed to the correct precinct on election day to ensure that they are able to vote in all elections for which they are eligible;   "(16) In considering the changes in 2021, the General Assembly heard hours of testimony from electors, election officials, and attorneys involved in voting. The General Assembly made significant modifications through the legislative process as it weighed the various interests involved, including adding further weekend voting, changing parameters for out-of-precinct voting, and adding transparency for ballot images; and   "(17) While each of the changes in this legislation in 2021 stands alone and is severable under Code Section 1-1-3, the changes in total reflect the General Assembly's considered judgment on the changes required to Georgia's election system to make it 'easy to vote and hard to cheat,' applying the lessons learned from conducting an election in the 2020 pandemic."   Law reviews.   - For article on the 2019 amendment of this Code section, see 36 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 81 (2019).   JUDICIAL DECISIONS    Cited in Nobles v. Osborne, 124 Ga. App. 454, 184 S.E.2d 207 (1971).   RESEARCH REFERENCES   Am. Jur. 2d.   - 26 Am. Jur. 2d, Elections, § 285 et seq.   C.J.S.   - 29 C.J.S., Elections, §§ 264 et seq., 345 et seq.