Commissioners accept Nov. 4 canvass after elections administrator reports printer delays, hand count found no discrepancies

The Collin County Commissioners Court voted 4–0 to accept the canvass of the Nov. 4 election results after Elections Administrator Caleb Breaux reviewed turnout and audit findings. Breaux told the court that 117,755 ballots were cast from 742,114 registered voters, a 15.87% turnout, and that the ballot board hand‑counted 6,565 ballots (19,695 selections) as part of the post‑election audit required by state law and found zero discrepancies.

The canvass vote concluded a larger presentation in which Breaux identified the county's top early‑voting and election‑day polling locations and described the training program for poll workers. He said the county held 32 four‑hour training sessions and trained more than 1,000 workers to operate new voting equipment and procedures.

Breaux acknowledged operational hiccups during the rollout, particularly slow printers under the new workflow. "It took these printers 35 seconds to print a ballot," he said, and described efforts with the vendor and judges to isolate causes — including environmental factors such as humidity and static — and to test alternative paper and process flows. He also said the county is exploring ballot‑design tweaks and multiple‑sheet printing options to keep type sizes legible as contests grow.

Public commenters raised concerns about the new hand‑marked process. Casey McClain, who said she has worked in Collin County elections since 2012, told the court that many voters and poll workers she observed regarded hand‑marked ballots as "a huge step backwards," citing situations where voters filled the wrong bubble or marked both options and elected not to spoil and reprint ballots when offered. "This change can suppress voters' desire to participate in elections," McClain said, urging the court to be "very conservative and cautious when making changes to the voting process."

Court members thanked the elections team for their work and asked staff to return with more information from the vendor on printer performance and any procedural changes that could speed the check‑in/print process. After questions about touch‑screen availability and ballot length, a court member moved to accept the canvass as presented; the motion passed 4–0.

The county's post‑election audits and the canvass acceptance complete the county's immediate legal obligations; Breaux said staff will continue vendor testing and training before the next election cycle.