After security lapses, Georgia will re-make how it runs elections

Darryl W. Smith, 51, votes at a voting station at the Southwest Branch Library in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Residents of South Fulton voted today for mayor and city council positions. (DAVID BARNES / DAVID.BARNES@AJC.COM)

Darryl W. Smith, 51, votes at a voting station at the Southwest Branch Library in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Residents of South Fulton voted today for mayor and city council positions. (DAVID BARNES / DAVID.BARNES@AJC.COM)

Georgia's elections for the first time in more than a decade will be entirely overseen by the Secretary of State's Office, a decision that will end the role of the state's longtime elections center at Kennesaw State University.

The move comes as the center has weathered a storm of criticism over security lapses that exposed more than 6.5 million voter records and other sensitive information.

State officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday that the transition is expected to take up to a year, with the university's Center for Election Systems in the meantime continuing to help maintain the state's voting infrastructure and work with local officials in preparation for upcoming elections.

To see more about the change and what it means for Georgia, click here to read our premium story from the weekend on myAJC.com.