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After hours of public comment, court directs staff to study hand‑marked ballots and on‑demand printers
Summary
Following a lengthy public hearing focused on election integrity, the court voted 5–0 to direct staff to return options for hand‑marked ballots, ballot‑on‑demand printers, an election facility, procurement paths and potential legislative items.
After an extended public hearing in which dozens of residents and party activists urged Collin County to adopt hand‑marked ballots or buy ballot‑on‑demand printers, Commissioners Court voted unanimously to direct staff to return with options and timelines. The motion asked staff to analyze acquisition or construction of an elections facility, to evaluate ballot‑on‑demand printer options (including capacity and costs), and to identify procurement and bonding questions.
Judge Hill opened the public hearing and the court heard repeated requests that the county move toward a hybrid or hand‑marked system. After the hearing closed, the court discussed logistical constraints — storage, lead time for equipment, purchasing rules and whether purchases require an RFP or could be sole‑sourced under the existing ES&S contract. The court ultimately voted 5–0 to instruct elections administration, purchasing, and budget staff to present options, costs and a timeline for consideration.
The directive is explicitly a staff study and not an immediate procurement order. Commissioners asked that staff include: legal requirements for procurement, facility/storage needs, potential costs for a 300–500 printer deployment, any buyback or trade‑in value for existing equipment, and whether implementation could meet near‑term election calendars. The court also discussed pursuing legislative changes to allow more robust post‑election hand verification and other audit improvements.
