During the 2020 election cycle, there were loud and often highly charged claims strongly supporting, or unequivocally decrying, the success of Georgia’s use of the Dominion voting system. Whichever side of that argument voters take, it is clear that Georgia voters’ faith in a fair election system has been shaken to the core.
Prior to the 2022 primary, it is incumbent on Georgia leaders and elected officials to have a new voting system in place so each voter’s focus is on their accurately recorded vote, not about potentially faulty voting machines. Nothing more, nothing less. Without a secure and accurate vote, Georgia citizens are left with no voice in the election process.
The Georgia GOP convened a special Election Confidence Task Force in early 2021 to review and prioritize what the state GOP believed were necessary changes to Georgia’s election laws and systems. The goal: implement changes to reestablish faith among Georgia voters in the integrity of our vote. Amongst the Georgia GOP’s recommendations was “Replacing all Dominion software with auditable and transparent software.”
The Texas Secretary of State evaluated and rejected Dominion for use in Texas three times because “the examiners raised specific concerns about legal compliance, including numerous technical and mechanical issues.” Check these links:
Voting System Examination(s) and Status for Dominion
Dominion Voting Democracy Suite 5.5-A – Examination October 2-3, 2019
What Can Replace Dominion In Time for the 2022 Primary?
A simple and relatively easily implemented replacement voting system would be a return to paper ballots. Properly implemented paper ballot systems are fully voter verifiable, are fully auditable, the systems are hard to hack, nor are these systems subject to ever increasing ransom-ware attacks. It’s not hard to imagine a foreign entity demanding millions in bitcoin, holding Georgia’s voting files hostage.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a non-partisan organization that provides research and data for state legislatures for all 50 states, has conducted numerous studies about secure voting systems. Chief amongst their recommendations is a paper ballot system utilizing a voter verifiable paper trail (VVPT). The Georgia legislature thought they were approving a strong “VVPT system” when they voted to approve the purchase of the Dominion system, based on the recommendations of the Georgia Secretary of State. As it turned out, a chief shortcoming of the Dominion system is that the VVPT the Dominion system produces is generated as a non-human readable bar code. The result – if a voter reviewed their ballot, it was impossible for the voter to know if their vote was accurately recorded in the bar code.
CNET, a well-respected publication/organization that deals entirely in the world of computer hardware, software and systems, issued a report after the 2020 election cycle that Paper Ballots Are The Way to Secure Elections. For their report, CNET interviewed a white-hat hacker who discusses the vulnerability of many voting systems for their potential hackability.
Is It Possible to Replace Dominion Before the 2022 Primary?
The answer is “YES”! The contract between the State of Georgia and Dominion voting systems contains a termination clause that the State of Georgia can trigger, according to Glynn County Attorney James Abley, who obtained and reviewed a copy of the Dominion contract. Legislation would be required to approve and implement a new Georgia voting system. The opportunity to do so exists in 2021 because a Special Session will be called by the Georgia Governor for late 2021, probably in November, for redistricting after the census. If you believe that Dominion should be replaced prior to the April 2022 primaries, please contact your state legislator, demanding action now! Find your legislator here.
Contact House Speaker David Ralston, Atlanta office (404) 656-5020, District Office (706) 632-2221, david.ralston@house.ga.gov telling him you want him to set aside his personal agenda and add “Approving a new voting system” to the House Special Session agenda. Further, asking Speaker Ralston to convene a House Committee TODAY to research and recommend a paper ballot replacement to Dominion in time for the April 2022 primary. All of this is within the power of House Speaker David Ralston – Ralston merely has to act!
Contact Gov. Brian Kemp (404) 656-1776, brian.kemp@georgia.gov and Lt Gov. Geoff Duncan (404) 656-5030, geoff.duncan@ltgov.ga.gov with the exact same message, demanding action on behalf of the citizens of Georgia.
Former state Rep. Jeff Jones represented the citizens of House District 167, which includes portions of Glynn, and all of McIntosh and Long counties, from 2014 – 2020. Technology and Small Business Development committees. In 2019, Jones was a Deputy Majority Whip.
