Deal says push in Legislature for paper ballots makes sense

Gov. Nathan Deal has cast his vote for paper ballots. Well, pretty much.

It’s really up to the General Assembly.

Georgia is one of five states that rely entirely on electronic voting machines without a paper backup.

The Legislature has been working this session on overhauling the voting system, and the governor said “it looks like a reasonable approach is being taken.”

A measure that has made some headway, Senate Bill 403, would replace the state’s electronic voting machines with a paper-based system that doesn’t commit to a specific format.

But the bill has its opponents, including election integrity groups and House Democrats, who say it falls short in its commitment to paper ballots. They say it would allow the state to continue to rely on voting methods that make the system vulnerable to hacking and doesn’t ensure paper ballots would be used for audits and recounts.

State Rep. Ed Setzler, who is shepherding SB 403 in the House, said the bill would be an initial step to “get us to paper.” State and local officials would take it from there, he said, to round out the policies and formats.

Deal said the push for paper makes sense to him.

“I understand the argument that we need something on a paper ballot to be able to verify what is actually done,” he said. “Because otherwise it is very difficult to give comfort to some people that their vote is actually recorded.”

But the governor is content to let lawmakers debate how an overhaul should take place, saying he would “support whatever the General Assembly comes out with.”

■ A hand for hands-free: Deal seemed more emphatic about his support for a distracted-driving bill, although he appeared doubtful the legislation will beat the clock before the General Assembly’s session ends Thursday.

House Bill 673, sponsored by state Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, was still stuck in the state Senate Judiciary Committee when Deal backed it during an appearance Wednesday on GPB’s “Lawmakers.”

Deal said the bill is needed because “it is virtually impossible for law enforcement officers to enforce the law we have.”

But the governor also recognized the tight deadline the bill faces.

“If we don’t get it this year,” he said, “I think we’ll need to see it as soon as possible in the next few sessions.”

■ Complaints? On social media? Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp recently received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia asking him to tidy up his practices on social media.

It’s part of a larger effort by the ACLU in warning politicians and government agencies that the ways they use their social media accounts could infringe on free speech rights.

The ACLU faulted Kemp for placing links on his government website that connect directly to the Twitter account and Facebook page devoted to his campaign for governor.

In the letter, it also said he routinely uses his campaign Facebook page to conduct official government business.

Kemp’s camp didn’t take it as constructive criticism.

His spokesman, Ryan Mahoney, called the letter an attack from the “radical left.” He also took some pride in noting that other GOP candidates for governor had apparently been spared the ACLU’s scrutiny.

“This letter from the sore losers of the ACLU is a clear reminder that Kemp is the only candidate for governor that Georgia Democrats fear,” Mahoney said.

The ACLU also sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson because it had blocked a Twitter user from posting to his account. It noted that two other Twitter accounts that had previously been blocked were no longer restricted by the senator’s office.

■ Part of the plan seems to be missing: There were supposed to be three parts to the Atlanta Beltline — parks, trails and transit — but the architect and urban planner who came up with the idea is now asking: What happened to the transit?

Ryan Gravel recently noted in his blog that more than a year has passed since Atlanta voters approved a half-penny sales tax to raise $2.5 billion for transit. “We’re still waiting for news on transit,” he wrote.

“Rumors are swirling that Beltline transit may not even make it into the plan – at least not much of it,” Gravel wrote on his website. “If that’s true, it’s fair to wonder if MARTA and other decision-makers have been listening all these years. Or maybe they don’t remember. Or maybe they weren’t here at the time. Or maybe they don’t care.”

Gravel calls transit the key to the project’s future because it would enable the construction of affordable housing along the route.

“We know intuitively that without urgent investment in transit, the Beltline will become what everyone fears – a beautiful greenway flanked by gentrified neighborhoods for people who can afford the luxury of that choice,” Gravel wrote. “That’s not what we wanted. That’s not what we voted for.”

■ Isakson for the defense: Rumor has it that President Donald Trump is out to fire U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, but the secretary has a defender in Isakson.

Shulkin got into some trouble over reports about how he used taxpayer money on a trip to Europe.

That set into motion reports that Trump was considering replacing Shulkin with Pete Hegseth of Fox News, an advocate for privatization of veterans health services.

But Politico.com reports that Isakson, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told Trump he had “full confidence” in Shulkin.

Isakson has never indicated publicly how he might feel about Hegseth. Hegseth has been more explicit. He used Twitter last year to voice an opinion about Isakson following his vote, along with that of Vermont Democratic U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, on a veterans health care bill. He called Isakson a “Swamp-creature.”

If Hegseth were to be nominated, he might have a difficult go of it in his confirmation hearing. Isakson would lead it.