Only days after it was filed late last week, the Fisher County Commissioners Court approved a resolution to formally oppose the introduction of HB-1013, a bill that proposes several changes to election procedures, including strict regulations on Polling locations that officials say could reduce voter turnout out in rural communities.
Authored by Texas House District 15 Representative Steve Roth (R), the bill, entitled the “Election Accuracy, Transparency, and Accountability Act,” proposes several amendments to the Texas Election Code to enhance election integrity and security.
The bill includes provisions to make changes to election dates as well as specifying a 9-day voting period by personal appearance. The bill also repeals several sections of the existing code that allow early voting by personal appearance and makes other significant changes to streamline and secure the election process.
Some of the more pivotal of the proposed changes include polling place regulations that mandate a single polling place per precinct. It also prohibits polling places in movable structures or at the residence or business of candidates or their close relations.
Fisher County Clerk and Election Coordinator Pat Thompson said was the elimination of countywide polling that prompted her to seek the resolution that specifically opposes the bill. The Countywide Polling Place Program allows voters in Fisher County (and other places that have adopted the program) to vote at any polling location within the county on Election Day.
This flexibility is especially valuable in rural areas where voters may work far from their designated precinct or lack convenient access to their precinct’s polling location. HB1013 restricts voters to polling places only within their respective precinct, which could limit the ability to vote at any convenient location within the county.
HB-1013 mandates a single polling place per precinct, which must be located in a public building within the precinct or an adjoining one. This could pose logistical challenges in rural areas like Fisher County.
“We’re a rural community. Our citizens, our voters like this,” said Thompson, adding how there are over 100 counties in the state that have implemented county wide polling. “I’m asking for use to sign this resolution so we can send it up the chain and say we are not behind [HB-1013].”
The proposed bill also specifies that ballots must be designed for hand marking without the use of non-humanreadable codes such as QR or bar codes. It also requires that all ballots be printed on secure, auditable paper.
The resolution defends the use of electronic poll books, which facilitate voter sign-in and help verify that voters have not already voted elsewhere. Although HB-1013 does not directly reference the use of electronic poll books, Fisher County officials agree that its emphasis on hand-marked ballots and potential restrictions on electronic devices could implicitly discourage or complicate the use of such technology.
“There are some representatives that are wanting to go back to the glory days of hand counting,” said Thompson. “Pretty much undoing everything that has been done over the last 20 years is what they’re wanting to do.”
HB-1013’s requirements for ballots to be hand-marked and free of non-human-readable codes like QR codes that Fisher officials say could conflict with the use of such electronic aids. Provisions for hand-marked paper ballots might not meet the accessibility needs of all voters, particularly those unable to physically mark a ballot without assistance. The resolution notes that moving away from accessible voting systems — such as those that use electronic ballot marking devices — could violate federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Additionally, HB-1013 would require all counting is to be done by hand at the precinct with bi-partisan teams. This process must be video recorded and made available to the public. Any discrepancies found in the video after the election can lead to corrections before certification.
However, results of the state’s pilot program last year indicates the broadband network might not be sufficient to meet the proposed regulations.
House Bill 246, authored by Rep. Valoree Swanson (R) of HD-150, introduced a pilot program geared toward enhancing election integrity through increased oversight of the vote-counting process. The bill mandated the Texas Secretary of State to deploy video recording systems to monitor ballot counting in selected precincts and central counting stations across Texas.
The program included counties across three population tiers: large counties with over 500,000 residents, mid-sized counties with 50,000 to 100,000 residents, and small counties with up to 5,000 residents. Stonewall County was among the six counties selected for this initiative.
The pilot program ran until January 1, 2025, but faced challenges in Stonewall County due to limited broadband, impacting the expected outcomes. A comprehensive report on the program’s efficacy and findings is due to the legislature post-completion, although the DM Chronicle was unable to obtain a copy of the report prior to publication of this article.
A similar bill was also filed in the Senate, SB-76, which also proposes the elimination of the countywide polling place program in Texas. Both bills aim to reform aspects of the voting process with a focus on enhancing security and integrity, and each propose changes that affect how counties manage elections.
While note specifically referencing SB-76, the Fisher County resolution opposes several changes that appear to be proposed by both bills, which highlight potential conflicts between local needs, especially in rural communities. Officials said they are following these and other bills closely during this the 89 Legislative Session.