Savannah disability advocate urges Georgia lawmakers to protect voting access as state weighs new election system

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - As Georgia lawmakers move closer to overhauling the state’s voting system ahead of 2028, disability advocates are pushing to make sure voters with disabilities aren’t left behind in the process.

A special legislative committee tasked with recommending Georgia’s next statewide election system held one of its first substantive hearings last week at the state Capitol, hearing from election officials in Florida and Virginia about how their states handle hand-marked paper ballots and ballot-on-demand printing.

Lawmakers are considering the shift after passing a bill during the June special session that makes hand-marked paper ballots the likely primary voting method in Georgia going forward.

Georgia has been down this road before. The state made history in 2002 when it became the first in the nation to roll out a uniform, statewide electronic voting system

The committee must submit its final recommendation to state lawmakers by Jan. 31, 2027, ahead of the 2028 election cycle.

Among those who testified was Jessica Mathis, a Savannah-based disability advocate with the nonpartisan group REV UP Georgia. Mathis has cerebral palsy, which affects her hands and her handwriting.

“If I had to fill out a paper ballot by hand, my ballot could be challenged or thrown out,” Mathis said.

Mathis said Georgia’s current ballot-marking devices, which offer audio and large-print options, already work well for voters with disabilities. She’s asking lawmakers to preserve that option no matter what system the state ultimately chooses.

One out of every six voters has a disability, according to Rev Up Georgia.

“Keep the ballot accessible. As a civil right... it is destroying democracy if you don’t,” said Mathis.

Federal law already requires every polling place to have at least one accessible voting machine on hand, even in states that primarily use hand-marked paper ballots.

Paul Lux, elections supervisor in Okaloosa County, Florida, told the committee that access to that equipment can’t be limited based on how a voter looks.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act does not allow you to look at a voter and determine their ability or disability,” Lux said. “So if a voter asks to use the ADA equipment, we presume they are eligible to use it and we make it available to them.”

Mathis said the alternative, relying on an aide or assistant to help her mark a ballot by hand, isn’t a solution either. She said it takes away her ability to vote independently and confidentially.

The Joint Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee is expected to continue meeting in the coming months as it finalizes its recommendation for Georgia’s next voting system.