The change comes after the Trump Administration issued an executive order earlier this year to eliminate barcodes on ballots.
What’s happening
During a June 24 meeting, commissioners approved purchasing new voting equipment in an effort to return to a hand-marked ballot system this fall.
Registered voters will fill in bubbles by hand to mark their preferences for candidates, measures or propositions.
Williamson County Elections Administrator Bridgette Escobedo said the county currently uses ballot-marking devices, or BMDs, to mark paper ballots electronically. The BMD prints a ballot with a barcode, which a machine reads to tabulate votes, Community Impact previously reported.
On March 25, President Donald Trump issued the executive order calling for the Election Assistance Commission to prevent voting systems from using ballots with barcodes, except when necessary to accommodate individuals with disabilities. The order calls for the commission to amend guidelines and “provide a voter-verifiable paper record to prevent fraud or mistake.”
The action taken
To comply with the order, Escobedo suggested Williamson County Commissioners adopt a ballot-on-demand system for voters to hand-mark paper ballots, which then get scanned electronically through a printer to tabulate.
Since voters will use pens to bubble in their ballots, Escobedo said residents will have up to three chances to receive a new ballot if they make accidental markings. Ballots will be prenumbered with Escobedo’s signature on them for voters to verify its legitimacy, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said.
By the numbers
During the meeting, commissioners approved a resolution to apply for a Help America Vote Act election security grant, which guarantees the county will receive $52,000 in funding to reimburse the purchase of BOD printers.
Commissioners signed off on purchasing hundreds of new Election Systems and Software equipment to comply with the new BOD system, totaling $1.14 million, according to county documents. Additionally, Escobedo said the county will also need around $300,000 for toner, voting booths, tables, chairs and more.
“We're going to try very hard to contain that within our elections budget,” she said.
Escobedo will request the entire $1.14 million in the HAVA grant in an effort to get reimbursed for the whole purchase. If Williamson County does not receive more than HAVA’s guaranteed $52,000, Escobedo said the funding will come directly from the county’s election budget.
Something of note
Covey said she’s heard concerns from residents that the BOD system could allow someone to manipulate marked ballots before they enter the printer to be scanned.
Escobedo said the BOD system is currently approved by the Secretary of State’s Office, and said Collin, Bastrop and Cameron counties recently moved to use hand-marked ballots.
“I don't have concerns,” Escobedo said. “I know that we are going to do our very best to protect the secrecy of everyone's ballot, and this is a way that we can do that.”
