3 days ago
Collin County Commissioners Unanimously Back Hand-Marked Ballots To Boost Voter Trust
On Monday, the Collin County Commissioners Court approved a move to hand-marked paper ballots for the November 2025 election, pending an implementation plan due later this month.
The 4–0 vote marked a sharp policy shift in one of Texas' fastest-growing counties, where electronic voting machines have long been the standard. Commissioner Duncan Webb was not present for the vote. While the new ballots will be marked by hand, officials emphasized that tabulation will remain electronic. The court directed county staff to return with a plan by June 23 detailing how the change will be implemented.
'I'd like to take the opportunity to make a motion to adopt hand-marked paper ballots for the upcoming November 2025 election and to direct staff to present to the court a plan for implementation by June 23,' County Judge Chris Hill said during the meeting. Commissioner Cheryl Williams seconded the motion.
Collin County's recently appointed Elections Administrator, Kaleb Breaux, told the court that the transition is logistically possible, though not without some caveats. To remain compliant with federal law under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the county must maintain approximately 300 'express vote' electronic units—about one per polling location—with additional backup machines.
Breaux said the county could potentially eliminate 'express touch curbside units,' offering additional cost flexibility. The administrator estimated that this might cost $2.4 million, noting that his projections fall well below the $3–4 million figure cited by his predecessor in 2024.
Breaux also indicated that the county may qualify for some HAVA sub-grants to offset costs.
Monday's vote comes nearly a year after the court declined to adopt a similar proposal. In August 2024, the Commissioners Court directed staff to explore the feasibility of a hand-marked ballot system following a failed motion to implement it that year. At that time, several commissioners raised concerns over cost, timing, and logistical readiness.
Public advocacy for election system reform intensified across Texas last year, particularly following a series of incidents in which loopholes in election laws had allowed certain primary ballots—including those of prominent political figures—to be identified and publicized through legal records requests.
Shannon Barnett, founder of the nonpartisan group My Vote Counts in Texas, has been a vocal advocate for hand-marked ballots and praised Monday's decision.
'Big thanks to the Collin County Commissioners—finally, a vote that puts the community first,' Barnett told The Dallas Express in an exclusive statement. 'Your unanimous decision to bring back hand-marked paper ballot elections for the November 2025 election shows a strong commitment to boosting public trust.'
Barnett's organization has advocated for a return to in-precinct voting and the elimination of countywide polling places, arguing that current practices compromise ballot secrecy. She has also cited frequent power outages and machine malfunctions in Texas as further justification for hand-marked, hand-counted systems, still legal under state law and already used in nearly 100 Texas counties for absentee ballots. Dallas's ability to conduct the spring 2024 election was disrupted when power outages at polling stations made it impossible for citizens to vote.
Critics of electronic voting systems often point to transparency and security concerns. As reported in The Dallas Express, the 2005 bipartisan election reform commission led by former President Jimmy Carter warned that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems often lack transparency and auditability. Though these systems may include paper records today, advocates like Barnett argue that the most straightforward solution is to return entirely to hand-marked paper ballots.
The cost has remained a key sticking point. In 2024, Commissioner Susan Fletcher reportedly cited estimates of $3.3 to $4.2 million for the switch and questioned whether the county could shoulder the burden in time for an election. On Monday, however, the court expressed optimism that Breaux's new estimates would make the plan more feasible.
