Kemp panel vote systems

New commission of 18 members will hold meetings across state.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp on Monday appointed an 18-member group of election officials, state legislators, political party representatives and voting experts to recommend the state’s next election system.

The group, called the Secure, Accessible and Fair Elections Commission, will hold public meetings across Georgia and review options for the state’s voting system, including handmarked paper ballots and electronic-machines with a voter-verified paper trail.

Kemp announced earlier this month that he was forming the study group to evaluate options to replace the state’s electronic voting machines, which don’t leave an independent paper backup that could be checked for accuracy of election results.

He created the group after the Georgia General Assembly failed

to pass legislation to move the state to a new voting system.

Kemp and state Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem, will be the co-chairmen of the SAFE Commission, which will conduct a cost analysis of voting systems, research post-election audit procedures and provide recommendations.

“It is an honor to serve alongside these individuals, who are committed to an open, transparent and inclusive process where we set our politics aside and focus on how we can keep Georgia’s elections secure, accessible and fair,” Kemp, a Republican candidate for governor, said in a statement.