(The Center Square) – Lt. Gov. Burt Jones says Georgia lawmakers will need to reconvene in a special session to determine how to comply with a state law that bans the use of QR codes to count election results.
Jones, running for governor, placed the blame on his opponent, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“Our secretary of state has never complied with us getting rid of the QR codes, which is something we passed two years ago,” Jones said in an interview with The Center Square. “We’ll be out of compliance on July 1 so after these primaries are over with, we probably will have to go into a special session to fix that.”
The General Assembly considered several election bills during the 2026 session, but none passed. It will be up to Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session. Jones said he would also be open to redrawing the congressional district lines if Kemp calls for it, as other states have done.
Raffensperger told The Center Square that the accusations that he has done nothing about the QR codes are not true. Raffensperger is trailing Jones and businessman Rick Jackson in polls as they bid for the Republican nomination for governor. Others in the race are Attorney General Chris Carr, Clark Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Ken Yasger and Tom Williams.
Candidates are swapping accusations in a series of television ads. Jones said he would rather focus on issues like taxes. He created the Special Senate Committee on Eliminating Georgia’s Income Tax, which held a series of meetings before the 2026 session.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 463, which would reduce the state income tax rate by 0.125% until it reaches 3.99%, if the state reaches revenue benchmarks.
The bill also reduces the standard deduction for married couples from $24,000 to $30,000 and for single filers from $12,000 to $15,000. Also included in the bill is an exemption of $1,750 of overtime and tips from state income tax through Dec. 31, 2028.
Jones said he wants to continue moving the income tax rate to zero.
“By doing that, we are going to be very responsible, we’re going to be very methodical and we’re not going to blow a hole in the budget,” Jones said.
Property taxes were also a hot topic during the session. Property taxes are levied by cities, counties and school boards. The state does not have a property tax.
The General Assembly passed a bill that caps assessments at the rate of inflation and allows cities and counties to implement a sales tax to offset property taxes, known as LHOST.
Jones called property taxes the most “egregious tax out there.” The state allows a $2,000 homestead exemption, which was enacted in 1937, when the average home price was $2,000, Jones said.
Lawmakers had challenges when working through property tax bills during the session.
“The challenge is you’ve got a lot of small counties that have no other tax digest and even if they pass a LHOST, so to speak, there’s not enough sales tax to generate a lot of those dollars to replace,” Jones said. “The House bill was talking about the state subsidizing a lot of smaller counties and I don’t think the state needs to be in the business of doing that, quite frankly.”
The Republican gubernatorial campaign has been less about taxes and more about the verbal banter between Jones and Jackson.
A series of ads attacking Jones from a group called “Georgians for Integrity” began airing in late 2025. Jackson denied being behind the ads in an April debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club. Jones said Jackson is.
A search of the organization “Georgians for Integrity” shows it is not located in Georgia at all, but in Delaware.
The organization is not listed as a non-candidate committee in the latest filings with the Georgia State Ethics Commission, which is investigating the group for seven lobbying violations and three campaign violations.
James Tyrrell III, an attorney for Georgians for Integrity, said the investigation is not grounded in “specific, well-founded allegations” but called it a “fishing expedition” during the March 30 meeting of the State Ethics Commission.
Jones called “dark money” groups “the devil.”
“I would like to find a way to stop that dark money, as I call it, from being used in these campaigns,” Jones said. “It’s ridiculous that we’ve got somebody who’s spent over $100 million in this governor’s race, but it’s also ridiculous that I’ve spent the money I’ve spent.”
Campaign finance reports show that Jones has received $4.4 million in contributions and loaned himself $17 million. He spent $18 mlllion, according to the latest filings.
Jackson raised $83.5 million, according to the reports. Jackson is listed as the main contributor and has spent $65.7 million. The bulk of it, 80%, is for television advertising, according to the report.
The Center Square has reached out to the Jackson campaign through its website and through social media, but has not received a response.
Polls on 270towin.com show Jackson with a slight lead over Jones. But they also show a large swath of voters undecided.
“But I don’t think he is going to win and I think we are going to finish strong on Tuesday and surprise everybody,” Jones said.
