Denton County warns precinct-based and non‑joint primaries complicate continuous voting

Denton County's elections administrator told the committee that continuous voting under SB 2753 will challenge large precinct‑based counties and non‑joint primary counties that must accommodate separate party equipment.

"Requiring early voting, every early voting location to remain in place for Election Day creates a significant logistical challenge to ensure that on election day voters that are in the wrong location cannot accidentally be given a ballot style that they should not have," Frank Phillips told lawmakers. Denton, he said, faces three options: deliver overnight equipment replacements (exhausting staff), reprogram equipment overnight, or keep all ballot styles loaded on machines and rely on the electronic poll book to prevent mis‑issuance — the last option increases human‑error risk.

Phillips proposed as the most effective solution a statewide requirement for countywide polling places to reduce precinct-based complexity, noting that roughly 85% of voters already use countywide voting in Texas. He asked the Committee to weigh operational consistency and consider targeted statutory adjustments to accommodate precinct‑based large counties.