More than 250 poll workers have been trained to assist with a new paper-based voting system and multi-step verification procedures in the upcoming election.
According to Texas legislation passed in 2021, any general custodian of election records will conduct a “risk-limiting audit” for selected statewide races within 24 hours after all ballots have been cast.
That audit would follow new procedures with paper ballots and updated election equipment. State legislation requires that all counties be converted to a paper-based system by 2026.
Lubbock County is ahead of the curve, serving as a pilot county for these changes in the election process. The Texas Secretary of State’s office offered funds for updating electronic voting machines into paper-based “auditable voting systems.”
In previous years, finding the workers to cover polling places and assist the voters has been a challenge, but Lubbock County Elections Administrator Roxzine Stinson said that hasn’t been the case with this election.
“People are vocal, they come by, they ask questions. They've come in, they've visited with us. But they have not been downright mean like it's been in other places,” Stinson said. “We're doing our best to work together.”
Workers in elections offices across the state have dealt with vocal citizens, some receiving threats and harassment, after claims spread about the veracity of elections in 2020. The Texas Attorney General will be sending inspectors to monitor this year’s elections in Harris County, where an audit of 2020’s election is still ongoing.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed unsuccessful lawsuits to disqualify votes in four states won by President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, is up for reelection this year.
Lubbock County’s Roxzine Stinson, who took the position of administrator in June 2021, has worked in local elections for two decades. She said many Lubbock citizens and local volunteers for the election just want to see how the process works.
“Some of them, they want to do it, they want to be a part of the process,” Stinson said. “Some of them have said, I want to make sure you're doing it right. And that's fine. We invite them to come in, see the process.”
With this new system, some things will remain the same. The recent changes, as described by state legislators, were intended to increase trust in the election process.
Voters arriving at their polling location will be required to show some form of identification: a Texas driver's license, a handgun license, a military ID, a citizenship certificate, a passport or passport card, can be options.
Identity is also required with mail-in ballots. Stinson said about 18% of mail-in ballots return without an identification number, such as a driver’s license number or social security number. The office works to return those ballots quickly, but without identification, they can’t be counted. Stinson advises mail-in ballot voters put both their driver’s license and social security numbers to ensure no issues.
Voters at the local polling place who have shown an ID will be given a piece of ballot paper and an access code. At the machine, voters will put in their access code and the paper before choosing their votes. Voters will then have opportunities to proofread their ballot, before and after printing.
Once printed, voters will place their paper ballot into a separate machine, the vote scanner, and the vote will be counted. Ballots are not officially cast until they go into this machine. Votes will be counted electronically after being scanned and the paper will go into a locked box. Stinson described that piece of paper as an “audit trail.” In the case of an audit or contested election, those paper ballots will be manually counted.
Whether those who come in are skeptical or just curious, Stinson said Lubbock County has been “blessed” by local citizens willing to cooperate to get the job done.
“Going to the paper-based system is new for us, new for the workers and new for the voters,” Stinson said. “So we all need to work together to make sure our processes are right.”
Early voting begins Oct. 24 and will run until Nov. 4. Election Day is Nov. 8. You can find a full list of early voting locations here. For more information, visit VoteLubbock.org.
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