However, they've failed to agree on an alternative method since then, causing uncertainty and the potential for lawsuits over Georgia elections until that's sorted out.
While the special session may resolve the question temporarily, the next secretary of state will likely be involved in implementing a new voting system by 2028.
Gabriel Sterling, who was one of Raffensperger\u2019s top aides, is the only Republican secretary of state candidate actively defending the state\u2019s 2020 election results.
He rose to prominence by imploring Trump to help discourage threats of violence against election workers, and he said in a recent Atlanta Press Club debate that the state has \u201cthe best and safest elections in America.\u201d
But others continue to echo Trump\u2019s claims.
Vernon Jones, who was elected as a state representative and DeKalb County CEO as a Democrat and then switched parties to become a Republican and fervent Trump supporter, is maybe the harshest critic.
\u201cI believe there were many irregularities. I believe violations have taken place,\u201d Jones said, adding, \u201cI stand with those who believe there was election fraud.\u201d
Kelvin King, a general contractor who previously ran for U.S. Senate and is married to State Election Board member and conservative commentator Janelle King, is only a little more reserved.
\u201cI think 2020 is still in question to be frank with you,\u201d King said.
State Rep. Tim Fleming said he believes there were some \u201cirregularities" in 2020 and that \u201cgreat strides\u201d have been made to address the issues. He said he's \u201cnot running on conspiracy theories\u201d and is focused on the future.
Fleming said he believes he and his fellow lawmakers need to find a \u201ctemporary fix\u201d during the special session to remove the QR code from the ballot in a way that is \u201cleast disruptive for the county elections officials.\u201d But ultimately, he said, he also wants to see the state move to hand-marked paper ballots, a position supported by many other Republicans.
Fleming previously worked for the secretary of state's office while Brian Kemp, now the outgoing Republican governor, held the position. He led a study committee on Georgia's election system last summer, but the committee produced only the briefest of reports.
Jones and King and Ted Metz, who has previously run for governor and secretary of state as a Libertarian, have criticized Raffensperger's record as secretary of state. They have decried what they say is incompetence, which he denies, and a lack of transparency and are calling for a switch from touch-screen voting machines to hand-marked paper ballots. They have extended that criticism to Sterling, who oversaw the implementation of the state's current voting system and continues to defend it.
Sterling, for his part, has insisted he is best positioned to beat a Democrat in the fall. He endlessly repeats the refrain that he has defended Georgia's election laws and policies against attacks from \u201cStacey Abrams, Joe Biden's Justice Department and the woke world.\u201d
Cole Muzio, president of Frontline Policy, a Christian conservative group, said he believes Jones has \u201ctraction\u201d in the closing days of the race, but said he believes that in any runoff, rank-and-file Republicans are likely to rally behind anyone who is opposing Jones. Muzio said despite Jones\u2019 outspoken pro-MAGA position, questions about his party switch could intensify in a runoff, particularly over Jones\u2019 switch from vociferously defending legal abortion to opposing it.
On the Democratic side, the candidates have stressed protecting the right to vote and fighting attacks on the state's elections.
The Democrats running for secretary of state include certified financial planner and political organizer Cam Ashling; Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett; nonprofit founder Adrian Consonery Jr; and former Fulton County State Court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds.
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