ATLANTA — Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne is getting an exclusive first look at Georgia’s new “registered voter information system.”
Tuesday is Election Day for municipal races across the state, making it the first time the new system is being used for an election this big.
Gabriel Sterling with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office says GARVIS, or the Georgia Registered Voter Information System” is designed to ensure all those who are legally entitled to vote can cast their ballot and stop those who aren’t entitled to vote from doing so and that a voter only cast one vote.
“It’s a huge step forward, especially in security, because we’re the first state in the nation to be able to use a cloud-based system using fed ramp, and the fed ramp is the same protocols used by the Department of Defense, the FBI and the intelligence agencies,” Sterling explained.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The state elections warehouse in Cobb County is packed with hardware, paper forms, signage and more elections supplies, but Sterling says the biggest change is one you can’t put your hands on.
Sterling walked Winne through how the system works and what data it can pass along.
“Here is a county dashboard, which basically is how the counties interact with all the information and data we get every single day from different sources,” he said.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car employee accused of taking photos of customers’ IDs to steal their identities
- Woman arrested with 12,000 counterfeit designer handbags and accessories in her Paulding home
- DeKalb elementary school employee to be charged after getting into fight with students
He acknowledged that a Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials region that includes some major counties has raised concerns with GARVIS, including inconsistencies in reporting capabilities, issues with accurate updating of early voting activity and more.
Sterling says state voting officials are continuing to work with the counties that raised concerns.
“The counties have worked their tails off and doing a great job working in the system, giving us their feedback and working together to bring a successful election to the voters of Georgia,” he said.
GARVIS has already been used in 50 county and municipal elections from March to September, but elections are scheduled for 122 counties next Tuesday.
Officials say Tuesday will provide important lessons about the system before the 2024 presidential election.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
IN OTHER NEWS:
©2023 Cox Media Group
