Truncated L&A Test Decks – Only One Race Per BMD Tested Statewide (GA)

The Georgia Secretary of State’s L&A procedures manual, issued in January 2020, directed counties to test only one candidate race per Ballot Marking Device (BMD) for each ballot style, rather than all contests on the ballot. This truncated testing protocol directly contradicts O.C.G.A. § 21-2-379.25(c), which requires L&A testing to verify accurate recording for all offices and questions on the ballot. In a statewide election with dozens of contest positions – judicial races, constitutional amendments, local races, and federal contests – testing a single race provides no assurance whatsoever that the BMD will accurately record votes in untested races, including presidential. An undetected software defect affecting the presidential race but not the single tested race would pass L&A testing under Georgia’s protocol without triggering any alarm.