The office of Brown County Judge Dr. Paul Lilly has provided additional information on new voting machines coming to Brown County early next year.
On December 20th, 2021 Brown County Commissioners voted unanimously to replace the existing voting machines with new hybrid voting machines that combine use of electronic voting stations and paper ballots to further ensure the integrity of the voting process for Brown County voters and provide additional voting machines to reduce the voters waiting time.
With an expenditure of $647,611.00 voters will see 100 new voting machines along with the variety of companion equipment required. Funds for this project are coming from the 2020 Elect SEC grants, 2020 Elect Fund Matching State funds along with $14,597.70 Brown County matching funds.
Judge Lilly said the new system will provide more security for voters over the previous equipment used in Brown County in that they feature a digital touch screen as well as a paper copy of the voter’s selections that the voter can verify before submitting the ballot into a secure on-site ballot box. Lilly stated that the collection of paper ballots and triple data backup allows for easier election audit tracking. The machines will also offer more accessibility for voters, Lilly said, as they feature Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible controls and screen toggling features that make for an easier, faster voting experience.
According to Larry Franks, Brown County Elections Administrator, Hart InterCivic Inc. is one of two voting equipment companies certified by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. The county chose Hart InterCivic Inc. due to Brown County’s familiarity with the company and their approval by the “Texas State Buy Board”. Hart InterCivic Inc. is an Austin-based company that designs and manufactures its voting machines in Texas.
“My commitment to Brown County voters is to provide an open, transparent and accountable voting process – moving to the new paper based, Hart InterCivic Verity Voting System, does just that by giving Brown County voters a more accessible, secure and verifiable ballot to improve the voting experience for all Brown County voters,” Judge Lilly said in a statement.