Section 21-2-368. Review of manufacturer's systems by Secretary of State; appointment and compensation of examiners; revocation of approval; written verification and certification prior to election or primary; penalties; conflicts of interest

   (a) Any person or organization owning, manufacturing, or selling, or being interested in the manufacture or sale of, any optical scanning voting system may request the Secretary of State to examine the optical scanning voting system. Any ten or more electors of this state may, at any time, request the Secretary of State to reexamine any optical scanning voting system previously examined and approved by him or her. Before any such examination or reexamination, the person, persons, or organization requesting such examination or reexamination shall pay to the Secretary of State the reasonable expenses of such examination. The Secretary of State may, at any time, in his or her discretion, reexamine any optical scanning voting system.

(b) The Secretary of State shall thereupon examine or reexamine such optical scanning voting system and shall make and file in his or her office a report, attested by his or her signature and the seal of his or her office, stating whether, in his or her opinion, the kind of optical scanning voting system so examined can be safely and accurately used by electors at primaries and elections as provided in this chapter. If this report states that the optical scanning voting system can be so used, the optical scanning voting system shall be deemed approved; and optical scanning voting systems of its kind may be adopted for use at primaries and elections as provided in this chapter.

(c) No kind of optical scanning voting system not so approved shall be used at any primary or election and if, upon the reexamination of any optical scanning voting system previously approved, it shall appear that the optical scanning voting system so reexamined can no longer be safely or accurately used by electors at primaries or elections as provided in this chapter because of any problem concerning its ability to accurately record or tabulate votes, the approval of the same shall immediately be revoked by the Secretary of State; and no such optical scanning voting system shall thereafter be purchased for use or be used in this state.

(d) At least ten days prior to any primary or election, including special primaries, special elections, and referendum elections, the election superintendent shall verify and certify in writing to the Secretary of State that all voting will occur on equipment certified by the Secretary of State.

(e) Any vendor who completes a sale of optical scanning voting system that has not been certified by the Secretary of State to a governmental body in this state shall be subject to a penalty of $100,000.00, payable to the State of Georgia, plus reimbursement of all costs and expenses incurred by the governmental body in connection with the sale. The State Election Board shall have authority to impose such penalty upon a finding that such a sale has occurred.

(f) When an optical scanning voting system has been so approved, no improvement or change that does not impair its accuracy, efficiency, or capacity shall render necessary a reexamination or reapproval of the optical scanning voting system, or of its kind.

(g) Neither the Secretary of State, nor any custodian, nor the governing authority of any county or municipality or a member of such authority nor any other person involved in the examination process shall have any pecuniary interest in any optical scanning voting system or in the manufacture or sale thereof.

Code 1981, § 21-2-368, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 1231, § 37; Ga. L. 1999, p. 29, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 240, § 28.