Collin County Returns to Hand-Marked Paper Ballots for November Election

Transition to Hand-Marked Ballots

• 🗳️ Collin County voters will see a change in the upcoming November election, moving from digital ballot marking machines back to hand-marked paper ballots.
• 📜 This method, previously used in the late '90s and early 2000s, is being reintroduced following a decision by the county commissioner's court.
• 💡 The shift is seen by some as a move towards a more transparent voting process.

Election Integrity and Testing

• 🏛️ President Trump's executive orders on election integrity served as a catalyst for this change.
• 📊 A state-mandated public test day was held to ensure the new process, including check-ins, ballot printing, and tabulation, functions correctly.
• ✍️ Voters will use pens to fill in ovals on full-size paper ballots, with machines designed to register their votes.

Ballot Accuracy and Machine Testing

• 🔍 The tabulation machine, a DS200, was put to the test with various marking scenarios, including overvotes, undervotes, and faint marks.
• ✅ The machine successfully identified potential errors such as overvotes, undervotes, and unreadable marks.
• ⚠️ Digital ballot marking machines are still available but in fewer numbers and must be requested by voters.

Reliability and Transparency

• ⚖️ The elections administrator stated that the new system is not considered any more or less safe than previous methods.
• 📈 Ballots are still tabulated properly, efficiently, and transparently.
• 🌟 Collin County has reported no voting irregularities in recent memory, and Friday's test day also proceeded without incident.