A Conspiracy Theory About QR Codes Has Led to Chaos Ahead of Georgia’s Midterms

When WIRED asked Favorito if, contempt each the audits and investigations that found nary evidence of fraud, helium inactive believed the 2020 predetermination was rigged utilizing QR codes, Favorito responded: “I deliberation it’s a chiseled possibility.”

Georgia’s measure did not outline what strategy should regenerate the QR codes, but it acceptable a July 1, 2026 deadline to extremity the usage of the codes. The effort to demonize QR codes was fixed added impetus erstwhile successful March 2025 Trump signed an enforcement order demanding that the Election Assistance Commission o.k. caller rules to prohibition the counting of votes via QR codes successful astir cases nationwide. The committee did not respond to a petition for comment.

Since then, legislators successful Georgia person repeatedly failed to enactment successful spot a strategy to regenerate QR codes oregon update the predetermination systems. So with conscionable six months to spell earlier the midterms, predetermination directors successful counties crossed the authorities person been near successful limbo, unsure however to proceed oregon whether caller rules volition beryllium enactment successful place.

When asked however the ballots volition beryllium counted successful the midterms, Anne Dover, manager of elections successful Cherokee County, tells WIRED: “Unfortunately, we bash not person an reply to this question.”

Some judge that Governor Brian Kemp volition callback the legislature for a peculiar league designed specifically to code the issue. Kemp declined to comment, and spokesperson Carter Chapman referred WIRED to a connection helium made successful aboriginal April aft the legislature ended without a caller strategy successful place, wherever the bureau stated that they were moving connected it.

Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s caput of state, besides declined to remark connected however this concern would beryllium fixed, but spokesperson Michon Lindstrom said the bureau had “full assurance successful our predetermination officials that they volition beryllium capable to transportation retired a palmy election.”

Last month, Raffensperger’s bureau projected a impermanent workaround that would usage QR codes to number votes connected predetermination nighttime successful bid to supply instant results, but optical-character-recognition scanning exertion would past beryllium utilized connected the ballots for the ineligible count—though experts person said this method could beryllium illegal.

Georgia instrumentality does let for the usage of hand-marked insubstantial ballots successful lawsuit of emergencies, specified arsenic powerfulness cuts, but it is not a strategy that was designed for usage by the full voting population.

For Favorito however, the solution is simple: Remove voting machines entirely. “Publicly recorded manus counts truthful that you tin beryllium assured that determination is nary cheating,” helium says.

He besides dismissed grounds that shows instrumentality counting is not lone faster but much close and cheaper. When asked who would transportation retired the task of counting millions of ballots, Favorito suggested that “volunteers and students” could beryllium used.

While Favorito says that a hand-counted strategy similar this tin beryllium enactment successful spot successful clip for the 2026 midterms, those connected the frontlines who administer elections accidental that is simply unworkable.

“Hand counting is serious,” says Deidre Holden, manager of elections successful Paulding County. “We request individuals that are committed and recognize that what they are handling is someone’s voice. Not conscionable a portion of insubstantial that needs to beryllium counted. There would beryllium a conflict to find these pupil volunteers. We already conflict to find committed canvass workers, and they are paid.”

Another contented is the sheer measurement of chiseled ballots that would person to beryllium printed and correctly handed retired to voters connected predetermination day. And for the already under-resourced predetermination officials crossed Georgia who are trying to hole for an predetermination season, the deficiency of clarity is profoundly frustrating.

“We are astatine the mercy of the legislators,” says Dover, the manager of elections successful Cherokee County. “This is not our occupation to solve. The legislators created this problem.”