Williamson County changes voting to hand-marked ballots

Changes coming for WilCo voters

This November, Williamson County residents will vote differently. In a unanimous vote, commissioners decided it was time to put pen to paper, at least when it comes to ballots.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - This November, Williamson County residents will vote differently.

In a unanimous vote, commissioners decided it was time to put pen to paper, at least when it comes to ballots.

Changes to ballots in WilCo

The backstory:

"We're going to go back to bubbling it in," said Covey.

After filling in a ballot by hand, with a pen, voters will still scan them electronically.

The change comes after President Trump issued an executive order to rid ballots of barcodes. To comply, the county will need new voting equipment and more manpower to avoid delays.

"It's going to be a backlog, so part of this purchase is more printers, and we're going to have more people," said Covey.

The purchase comes out at more than $1 million, but commissioners are also applying for a federal grant they hope will cover some, if not all, of it.

The county is guaranteed $52,000 in federal grants for purchasing the new equipment. If they don't get any more funding, the extra costs will come out of the county's election budget.

"A $1.1 million expenditure deserves a lot more investigation, a lot more discussion than just shooting for the hip and spending money," said Laura Pressley with True Texas Elections.

Pressley voiced concern to commissioners about ballot secrecy.

"I need you to hear us," said Pressley. "I need you to understand that you need to have a cybersecurity expert provide you with advice and counsel on this technology, a $1.1 million purchase."

But county Election Administrator Bridgette Escobedo testified she’s comfortable moving ahead with the purchase.

"I don’t have concerns. 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, so I personally don’t have concerns, and again I’ll work closely with the Secretary of State’s office for their advice on how to move forward," said Escobedo.