The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 16, 2023
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Votebeat Texas – Overlooked provision of SB 1 requires election equipment that doesn’t exist, at a cost of $116 million
Texas Secretary of State – SOS 101: Voting Systems in Texas
Texas Association of Counties – State law requires new voting machines (this refers to machines which can leave a paper trail, another requirement of SB 1)
Community Connect – (2021) Harris County purchases 12,000 new hybrid voting machines ahead of May 1 elections at a cost of $54 Million
Austin American Statesman – From polls to ballots, here’s what a new Texas voting law means for you
Texas Legislature – Enrolled version of SB 1
Groups Taking Action:
Texas Civil Rights Project, Mi Familia Vota, League of Women Voters Texas, ACLU Texas
Today’s Script: (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
We’re in Texas today, where the conspiracy-fueled zeal for election integrity may cost the state money. Big money. When it passed its omnibus election bill SB 1 last year, an unnoticed provision may require new election equipment – for EVERY election.
Votebeat Texas reports that included in the bill was a requirement that election data be written on data storage devices in a way it can’t be altered.
By the September 2026 implementation, the new law will outlaw millions of dollars of current election equipment, and could force hand counting unless new compliant equipment is purchased. The Texas Secretary of State’s office estimates the cost could exceed $116 million dollars.
Currently, election officials use USB flash drives to download data from individual ballot tabulation machines, then transport the devices to a central county election operation. Current flash drives can’t make the data permanent, and would need to be replaced each election. The same with the central county computer’s storage drive, and tabulators. Other than write-once CDs and DVDs, the technology required doesn’t yet exist.
Most Texas counties don’t have the budget to replace equipment each election, and hand counting is less accurate, more expensive, and takes far longer than electronic tabulators. The conservative Heritage Foundation cites 105 alleged cases of fraud since 2005 in a state with almost 17.7 million registered voters.
We have the Votebeat article and more resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.