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Voter-watchers, machine breakdowns and staffing faults cited at Eagle Pass tabulation; resident asks for procedural fixes
Summary
A resident raised complaints about early-voting tabulation procedures, alleging poll watchers were kept too far from tabulation, that poll-watcher limits were miscommunicated and that tabulation machines failed repeatedly; the speaker cited Texas Election Code sections and urged better training and compliance.
A resident told the Eagle Pass City Council Tuesday that early-voting tabulation procedures at the county courthouse restricted poll watchers from observing the count and that local election staffing and machine reliability problems caused delays for voters.
Sandra Sassano described multiple issues: poll watchers were reportedly kept 28 feet away from tabulation, which she said violated watcher's rights under Texas Election Code section 33.056; she said judges had told candidates they could only have one watcher though the Texas Secretary of State guidance permits more. Sassano also said the tabulation machine broke down "29 times," and that staffing and table arrangements at polling places caused delays of up to 45 minutes.
Sassano requested improved training for workers, adherence to watcher access rules, and clearer communication to candidates about their rights to observers. The council received the comments during the public-communications portion of the meeting; no formal action was taken during the meeting on those specific complaints.
City officials did not debate the substance of the complaints on the record during the council meeting, but the council agenda later included an item to ratify adding an assistant tabulation supervisor for future elections. That ratification was discussed and approved as a technical correction to earlier election orders.
