Grayson County accepts $42,500 HAVA election-security subgrant; elections administrator named point of contact
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Summary
The Grayson County Commissioners Court accepted a $42,500 HAVA election-security subgrant with an $8,500 local match and named the Elections Administrator as the single point of contact for the grant.
The Grayson County Commissioners Court voted to accept a 2025 Help America Vote Act (HAVA) election security subgrant awarding the county $42,500, with the required 20% local match of $8,500 to be funded from Chapter 19 state funds. The court amended its motion to designate the Elections Administrator as the county’s single point of contact (SPOC) for communication with the Texas Secretary of State related to the subgrant and reimbursement requests.
Julie Phillips, Grayson County Elections Administrator, briefed the court on the grant and related federal and state developments. She cited Executive Order 14248 (referred to in the meeting) and explained it prohibits ballots that include a barcode or QR code representing a voter’s choice. She told the court that the county’s current voting system “prints such a bar code” and that the vendor ES&S proposed an alternative ballot-on-demand printer that would print ballots without a barcode to address the executive order’s requirement.
Phillips said the ES&S ballot-on-demand printer quote is $113,720; the HAVA subgrant allocation for Grayson County is $42,500, and the local match would be $8,500. She said the grant period ends July 1, 2026, and that the subgrant can alternatively be used for physical security improvements at the election office (controlled-access doors, equipment warehouse security, ballot vault and ballot board room access). The elections administrator said she is working with the county budget office to identify remaining funds required to acquire ballot-on-demand printers if the court chooses that option.
Commissioners discussed the grant’s permissible uses and clarified that the match funds will come from Chapter 19 state funds and that the SPOC will be the Elections Administrator for reimbursement purposes. The court approved the resolution by voice vote; the motion was amended on the record to appoint the Elections Administrator as the SPOC.
The transcript records the grant amount and match but does not include a roll-call tally; the vote was recorded as a voice vote with the court answering “Aye.”
