Georgia will be the first state to provide devices to allow voters in the Americans with Disabilities community to verify their printed ballots before casting them, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Tuesday.

“Every Georgian should have the same ability to verify the choices on their ballot independently because that is an important aspect of election security, which is my top priority,” he said. “We now have the ability to use technology to overcome this challenge, and I’m pleased to lead the way.”

Georgia is implementing paper-ballot voting for the first time in 18 years. The system allows voters to make their choices on a touchscreen device and then print their ballot for review before casting.

The new system has the ability to adapt to various accessibility needs, from larger type font and altered contrast to audio instructions and sip-and-puff manipulation. These accessibility features were an important reason this system was recommended in 2018 by a commission of experts and citizens and why the General Assembly approved and funded it in 2019.

However, once the ballot is printed, it is up to voters to review. That is impossible for people with severe vision problems. And use of Braille ballots would violate the privacy of voters using them because they might be the only ballot in a given precinct printed with the raised dot pattern of the universal alphabet for the blind. Besides, fewer than 10 percent of those legally blind can read in Braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind.

The solution Raffensperger, an engineer by training, found is to purchase text-to-speech translation devices that will essentially read the paper ballot to the voter wearing earphones to assure privacy. The state will provide a device for every polling location in time for the May general primary.

This issue first came to light through demonstrations of the new paper-ballot voting machines. Round table discussions with accessibility groups and academics hosted by Secretary of State Elections staff added perspective.

“This ensures that every Georgian votes on the same machines, the same way, and enjoys the same ballot security,” Raffensperger said. “Secure, fair and accurate elections are critical to everyone.”

There are approximately 31,000 blind Georgians, according to Vision 2020, an initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. And 255,000 Georgians report having severe vision difficulty even when wearing glasses, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.