ATLANTA (AP) — When Georgia lawmakers return to the Capitol this week for a special session, they are expected to try to clean up an election mess of their own making.
The election system used throughout the political battleground state relies on a QR code printed on ballots to tally the votes. Legislators passed a law two years ago barring the use of that barcode for the official vote count beyond July 1 of this year, but no replacement method of tabulating votes was ever implemented.
One of the instructions Republican Gov. Brian Kemp laid out for lawmakers when he called the special session is to “address issues created” by that law. Meanwhile, the secretary of state's office and the State Election Board have further muddied the waters by issuing conflicting guidance for county election officials about how votes should be cast and counted.
If the issues are not resolved soon, there is likely to be confusion and possibly litigation over the state's elections after July 1. A special election to fill a U.S. House seat is scheduled for that month.
Georgia's current election system was first used statewide during the 2020 primary. After the general election that year, when Republican President Donald Trump narrowly lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump and his supporters claimed without evidence that the machines had deleted or switched votes.
Trump's backers continued to complain about the touchscreen voting machines, with some loyalists espousing wild conspiracy theories. Election integrity advocates also criticized the machines, saying they are vulnerable to hacking and that voters cannot be sure their selections are accurately reflected because people can't read QR codes.
Republican lawmakers in 2024 tried to address those concerns by passing a law banning barcodes for the “official tabulation count” after July 1, 2026. But in the two years since, neither the secretary of state's office nor the General Assembly has taken action to comply. Now, the deadline is fast approaching and a major midterm election looms.
Trump singled out those machines, which are used in at least some counties in more than a dozen states, in his first executive order on elections shortly after he took office for his second term in January 2025. That order has been blocked by multiple courts and is not being enforced.
Last month, Kemp announced a special legislative session, scheduled to start Wednesday, to draw new congressional maps for the 2028 elections and to address the QR code issue.
It's possible that lawmakers could extend the deadline in the law to allow the QR codes to be used for now and give themselves some breathing room to come up with a new system before elections in 2028. But in the waning hours of the regular legislative session earlier this year, they rejected a proposal that would have done that.
Even if lawmakers agree on a solution, it might be tough to implement before a special election to fill the remainder of the term of U.S. Rep. David Scott, who died in April. The special election is set for July 28, with early voting beginning July 6.
The secretary of state's office last week issued guidance to election officials in the six counties included in that congressional district. The office says it's preliminary and subject to change based on any developments from the special session.
The ballots will be run through the scanners, which will read the QR code to generate the election night vote count. Then, before county certification, electronic images created by the scanners for each ballot will be uploaded to a server, where optical character recognition software will be used to tally the votes using the human-readable text. The results of that second process will be the official tabulation count.
The secretary of state's guidance expressly says counties must continue to use the current election system, including the touchscreen voting machines, and that there is nothing in the law that authorizes the use of hand-marked paper ballots for in-person voting.
The State Election Board weighed in two days later with conflicting guidance. Board members argued the plan proposed by the secretary of state is not authorized by law.
The board passed a resolution instructing counties on what to do if the special legislative session does not result in an extension of the deadline for using QR codes. The resolution directs counties to use their emergency backup, which calls for hand-marked paper ballots with scanners used to count voters' selections.
When asked about the conflicting guidance during the election board meeting, Elizabeth Young, a lawyer with the state attorney general's office, said that while the guidance is not binding, "obviously it would cause confusion for elections superintendents if they are getting differing instructions from two agencies, both of which have some authority over what they’re doing.”
The election board has been controlled by a Trump-aligned majority and is often at odds with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who is a frequent Trump target.
Henry County in Atlanta's suburbs is one of the counties where voters will go to the polls for next month's special election. Axiver Harris, interim elections director, said the county is aware of the conflicting guidance and is awaiting further clarification from the state.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the guidance currently available, we believe it is wise to wait for further direction to ensure that any decisions made are consistent with state requirements and election administration best practices,” he wrote in an email.
Marcye Scott, who is running in the special election to serve the remainder of her late father's term, said she is not sure most voters are even aware of the issue and is focusing her attention elsewhere.
“My goal is to get people to the polls, get my people to the polls and get them to vote for me,” she said.
But Carlos Moore, another of the six candidates running in the special election, said he is worried about legal challenges if a new method of vote-counting is implemented without enough time. He hopes lawmakers extend the deadline to allow the use of the QR codes for now.
“I would ask that legislators do the right thing, leave well enough alone for the special election," he said. “Otherwise, it’s almost certain there will be challenges in court.”
FILE - Voting machines fill the floor for early voting at State Farm Arena, Oct. 12, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
FILE- Courtney Parker votes on a new voting machine, in Dallas, Ga., Nov. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Lewis Hamilton’s wait for a race victory with Ferrari is over.
Yellow helmet still on, Hamilton pumped his fists and took a running leap into the arms of his fellow crimson-clad crew members after parking his Ferrari in the No. 1 spot on winner's row following his masterful race at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday.
It had been a throwback, vintage Hamilton win. A victory that showed the seven-time champion, whose last title came in 2020, may just be back to his best at age 41.
Hamilton thanked and thanked again his teammates, the engineers back in Italy, his family and his fans in an emotional celebration for the driver who once dominated the sport but hadn’t won a race in nearly two years.
“I watched Ferrari have all this success when I was younger and wondered what it would be like to win in this car. I’m forever grateful and hopefully the first of many," Hamilton said from the winner's podium while thousands cheered.
His record-extending victory No. 106 may have also ignited a title fight with a Mercedes that looked untouchable following a rulebook overhaul this year and had won all six previous races.
“They are all special in their own way, but this one is something else,” Hamilton said about the importance of a victory that ended a run of 40 races without a win, 30 of which had come since his move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the end of 2024. His last win had come at the Belgian GP in July of that year.
“It’s all starting to come together and I’m just happy in my life," said Hamilton, who looks like a different driver from the despondent racer who struggled with Ferrari last campaign and never even reached the podium in a grand prix.
Hamilton admitted that during his troublesome first year with Ferrari he reached a point when he thought “maybe it is true that you get to a certain point you lose it.
“But you don’t. It takes perseverance to tap into that inner self… now I feel great racing with 19 year olds.”
To sweeten the day for Ferrari, Hamilton was already cruising to victory when Kimi Antonelli, the F1 points leader, came to a stop on the track with just four laps to go when his Mercedes suffered an electrical shutdown.
That ended the young Italian's incredible run of five straight wins.
Antonelli still leads with 156 points after seven races, but Hamilton has closed the gap and has 115. George Russell guided his Mercedes to a second-place finish and now has 106 points.
It was Hamilton’s seventh win at this track, a record at Montmelo, and his first here since 2021.
He was building toward this long-awaited victory with runner-up finishes at Canada and Monaco. He said he had set the “foundation” with Ferrari before he qualified second ahead of Antonelli for the Barcelona race.
“Thank you so much to help me achieve this dream,” Hamilton said on team radio after crossing the finish line more than 19 seconds ahead of Russell. “Thank you for everyone pushing so hard at home, thanks to my family, and to my fans who continue to remind me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Hamilton took advantage of fresher tires and a superior pitstop strategy by Ferrari to overtake the pole-sitting Russell.
Ferrari opted for a three-stop race to give Hamilton fresher tires on a track that is known to be hard on rubber, especially with track temperatures at 50 Celsius (122 F). The quicker wheels had him slip ahead of Russell, who, like Antonelli, was on a two-stop plan, when a bit of luck sealed it for Hamilton.
A stoppage by Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin brought out a virtual safety car, and Ferrari called in Hamilton for his final stop while his rivals couldn’t push the pace, and he emerged in the lead with a fresh set of tires.
Seeing Hamilton slip away, Russell was left to protect his position from Antonelli. They had jousted earlier in the race, before Antonelli eventually swept past.
Moments later, it all unraveled for Antonelli when he stopped and his shot at 18 points vanished.
Russell said his team will need to solve their mechanical issues, after he also had a late breakdown in Canada. He also had some nice words for Hamilton, his former teammate.
“It was a big bold move to join Ferrari and to see it paying off now is great to see, he is going to be a real threat,” Russell said.
Defending F1 champion Lando Norris was third in his McLaren, making it the first all-British podium since 1968.
Max Verstappen for Red Bull in fourth. Oscar Piastri, who won here last year, was fifth in the other McLaren.
Isack Hadjar of Red Bull was sixth, followed by Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto of Alpine. Liam Lawson and Avrid Lindblad rounded out the top 10.
Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, had to retire late when his Ferrari failed due to a hydraulic problem.
Alonso had a dismal day in what he said is likely his last race in northeastern Spain. The 44-year-old former champion started from the pitlane following an engine change after bottoming out in qualifying and then broke down in the race. Aston Martin’s other car, driven by Lance Stroll, retired early because of a gearbox issue.
This is the last race near Barcelona for two years. It will return in 2028 as it alternates on the F1 calendar with the Belgian GP at least through 2032.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after wining the Spain F1 Grand Prix race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, right, of Britain celebrates on the podium next to countryman Mercedes driver George Russell, second place, after winning the Spain F1 Grand Prix race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after wining the Spain F1 Grand Prix race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Mercedes drivers George Russell, left, of Britain and Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy steer their cars during the Spain F1 Grand Prix race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Spain F1 Grand Prix race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the Spain F1 Grand Prix race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during qualifying session for the Spain F1 Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Manaure Quintero/Pool Photo via AP)
From left: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, and Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrate after qualifying session for the Spain F1 Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain celebrates his pole position after qualifying session for the Spain F1 Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain returns to the pits after session for the Spain F1 Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Manaure Quintero/Pool Photo via AP)
