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Residents press Brazos County for election transparency and precinct voting
Summary
Three residents told the Brazos County Commissioners Court Jan. 6 that the county should increase election transparency and return to precinct voting, citing concerns about voter rolls, equipment inspection and recent cybersecurity incidents. The county''s election test on Jan. 13 was highlighted as an opportunity for public oversight.
Kathy Viens, a Precinct 4 resident, opened the public-comment period by focusing on county spending and transparency.
"We've spent $2,100,000 biweekly in salaries," Viens said, adding that the figure does not include benefits and urging the court to make payment-of-claims information fully public. She also questioned the use of grant funds to pay graduate students $40 an hour and supervisors $70 an hour and asked for more scrutiny of grant-funded personnel costs.
Cindy Wiley raised election-security concerns and urged a return to precinct voting to "protect the secrecy of each ballot." Wiley said she had identified discrepancies she described as "approximately 200 ghost voters" when comparing November 2024 voter histories and county rolls and voiced distrust of electronic voting systems, saying components are sourced internationally and not subject to public inspection by anyone other than vendors.
Michelle Hall, county chair of the Brazos County Democratic Party, encouraged residents to attend the public test of the county''s automatic tabulating equipment on Jan. 13, 2026, at the Brazos County Election Administrator's Office and invited citizens to serve as election workers. "If you have concerns about how the voting process works in Brazos County, participate," Hall said, describing the test as an opportunity to see how votes are cast and counted.
The court did not take formal action in response to these public comments during the meeting. Hall and other commenters emphasized participation in the Jan. 13 public test as the immediate avenue for residents to observe equipment and procedures.
Next steps: the county''s Election Administrator will hold the announced test of automatic tabulating equipment Jan. 13; commissioners did not announce additional audits or specific policy changes during the session.
