LISTEN: The Georgia State Election Board says the update will fix a privacy concern, but the secretary of state's office is concerned with the timing so close to November elections. GPB's Sarah Kallis explains.

state election board

Caption

The State Election Board debated a resolution dealing with a software update to voting machines during a meeting Sept. 28, 2026, in Suwannee, Ga.

Credit: Screenshot from State Election Board YouTube

The State Election Board passed a resolution Monday aiming to address voter privacy concerns. 

The resolution urges Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to quickly implement a software update to voting machines to patch a security concern that critics say could make it possible to see how people voted. The resolution also asks Raffensperger's office to provide forensic images of the server pre-update to the election board, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice for investigation.

Board member Carolyn Roddy presented the resolution.

"It is irresponsible to have all of us voting on machines that we know have known vulnerabilities," she said. The company that makes the voting machines has offered the software update for free, she said. 

If Raffensperger does not comply with the request, the board will request assistance from DHS and the DOJ.

Board member Sara Tindall Ghazal, the only Democrat on the board, raised concerns about the timeline of the request, and said that the cost lies with personnel required to implement the update, not the update itself. 

"What you are calling for is impossible to do before the midterm elections," she said. "It's not that it's impractical."

She also raised concerns about overreach if federal agencies are called in for assistance.

"How would you feel if I had come up with this proposal under the previous administration?" she asked the other members. 

The secretary of state's office has asked for funding to update the machines before, but the request has been denied. 

"Where have these guys been throughout our numerous funding requests?" a spokesperson for the secretary of state's office said. "This is a day late and at least $30 million short." 

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