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Resident urges Brazos County to prepare hand-counting plan and apply for HAVA funds as new federal standards loom
Summary
A resident asked Brazos County commissioners on June 24 to direct elections staff to prepare a hand-count contingency plan and to consider applying for Help America Vote Act funds ahead of potential equipment decertification.
A resident urged the Brazos County Commissioners Court on June 24 to direct the county elections office to prepare a written contingency plan in case local electronic voting systems are decertified under recently revised federal standards.
Dr. Walter Doherty told the court he had drafted a resolution "to direct the elections department to immediately prepare a comprehensive plan for conducting elections in Brazos County without addition to any independent or third party counters." He said the plan would include training hand counters to count split-precinct ballots in accordance with the Texas Election Code and procedures for assisting disabled voters without electronic systems.
Doherty said an executive order and new federal review could lead to decertification of currently used equipment before the November constitutional-amendment election. He recommended the written plan be submitted to the public and the commissioner's court within 30 days of adoption.
A second speaker told the court the Texas Secretary of State had circulated information on the availability of up to $10 million in Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds and that the application deadline was June 30. That speaker said they had seen no public agenda or hearing on applying for those funds and urged the court to act quickly if it wished to seek federal support for contingency operations such as tables, ballot boxes and paid counters.
Commissioners and members of the public discussed options including seeking HAVA grant funding and conducting public workshops or town halls to explain potential changes. The court did not adopt a resolution at the meeting; the transcript records the public comments and discussion but no formal motion or vote on the proposed draft resolution.
The speakers cited parts of state and federal law during the remarks: references in the public record included the Texas Election Code provisions on hand counting and the federal statute 52 U.S.C. a7 10508. The court did not take formal action on a resolution at the June 24 meeting but was alerted to the June 30 HAVA application window and to the timeline for potential equipment decertification.
