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Public commenters urge Collin County to delay ES&S maintenance contract pending federal, state standards
Summary
Multiple public speakers urged commissioners to delay renewing a maintenance contract with ES&S for ballot-marking and voting equipment until federal EAC/VVSG 2 certification and state election-law changes are settled; speakers recommended hand-marked ballots and contract escape clauses.
Several public commenters urged the Collin County Commissioners Court to delay or add protections to a planned maintenance contract with ES&S, the county's voting-system vendor, until federal certification and pending state election-law changes are resolved.
Lee Moore (public commenter) asked the court to delay approving an ES&S maintenance contract valued in the hundreds of thousands and to work with ES&S to include contract provisions allowing refunds or adjustments if federal or state requirements change. Moore cited President Trump's Executive Order 14248 (issued March 25, 2025) and said the order requires certain standards — including limits on bar codes and QR codes on ballots — to be met within 180 days of issuance. "Signing a contract before these matters are resolved risks committing taxpayer dollars to services that may become unnecessary or require costly modifications," Moore said.
Moore and other speakers told the court that, as of early May, ES&S had not submitted a system for VVSG 2 (Voluntary Voting System Guidelines version 2) certification to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and they cautioned that the county has already invested heavily in ballot-marking devices. In public remarks, a commenter said Collin County had invested about $13.5 million in ballot-marking devices and that early-voting site counts and election-day site counts mean many locations currently use hand-marked ballots and might not need replacements if state rules change (speakers cited 45 early-voting locations and 17 election-day sites in prior remarks).
Another speaker identified as Reynolds urged adoption of more hand-marked paper ballots and criticized ballot barcode translations. "Hand-marked ballots are recommended," Reynolds said, arguing that electronic translations can reduce transparency.
There was no recorded vote to approve or delay a contract at the meeting; speakers urged commissioners to include escape clauses or amendments to protect taxpayers if federal or state standards change. Commissioners acknowledged the public comments and staff earlier noted pending state legislation (SB 2753) that could affect early-voting timing and equipment needs.
