The County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of 50 electronic poll books from vendor 10x for $98,350 and authorized associated annual software and maintenance fees, during its Aug. 26 meeting. The court voted unanimously to accept the contract.

Elections staff member Jared told the court the county needs new electronic poll books because the county’s current vendor is going out of business. "It's gonna be, $98,350 for 50 new poll books," Jared said, and he added that funding would initially come from Chapter 19 funds. Jared said he had applied for a HAVA grant to reimburse the county and that the state had delayed approval; the county re‑applied for the grant "just yesterday." He said the plan is to do a budget amendment now, pay from county funds, and refund the county when the HAVA grant is approved.

Jared said 10x is used by other Texas counties and comes highly recommended: "10x comes highly recommended from Bell County. They use these poll books. Williamson County, they also use these poll books. Hays County, they use these poll books. I know Travis County uses them as well." He said the county would train poll workers and that initial user feedback indicated the interface is easy to learn.

The first‑year cost includes hardware, integration and software fees lumped together in the quote; Jared said the second‑year recurring contract cost will be about $9,000. He said the county currently pays roughly $10,000 a year for maintenance on the existing poll‑book system, so the anticipated ongoing cost is comparable.

Jared told the court he is ordering 50 units now even though the county needs 70 total to replace aging equipment; he said 50 units will be sufficient for the upcoming November election and that he will seek additional funding later to buy the remainder. The vendor contract and associated documents are under legal review and will be reviewed by purchasing as part of normal procurement oversight.

The court approved a motion to accept the 10x contract and directed staff to process a budget amendment to record the purchase in fiscal year 2025 if the units are received before Sept. 30. Jared confirmed he expects delivery and training in time for the November election.

Court members did not add conditions beyond standard purchasing review and a budget amendment to record the expenditure; they voted to approve the purchase and the plan to seek grant reimbursement once HAVA funds are approved.

The county will return to the court as needed to request additional poll books and to present any required annual contract approvals for the maintenance and licensing fees.