AUSTIN, Texas — Travis County Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement on Monday on how the March primary should run.
The Democratic Party announced on social media that the parties agreed to a contract that includes countywide voting, which allows registered voters to cast ballots at any polling location in the county, instead of at a specific precinct location. This contract will now go to the clerk's office, so it can start preparing for March.
The big difference is that the Republican Party aims to hand count its mail-in and early voting ballots, typically done by a machine. Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak said hand counting will help with election integrity.
"That takes it away from questions about whether a machine has been tampered with, whether it's been connected to the internet in a way," Mackowiak said. "And even if those things are not happening, it eliminates that from even being a conspiracy theory that anyone can even put forward or an accusation anyone could make."
For the Republican Party to move forward with hand counting, it must meet a Dec. 31 deadline. The party has to prove it can find the staff and facility to pull it off, among other criteria. Mackowiak said he believes the party will meet the requirements for mail-in ballots but not early voting due to the time.
The chair of the Travis County Democratic Party said hand counting leads to larger error margins.
"So, again, there have never been any complaints or contests to election results in Travis County in recent history," Katie Naranjo said. "Therefore, these folks are in, you know, in search of a problem, trying to have 15th Century solutions."
If the Republican Party can meet the criteria to hand count early votes, Naranjo said voters would have to physically submit their ballots into separate boxes at the polls, depending on the party.
Under the new contract, all voters will also have to do a redundant process for voter check-in with a paper roster as a backup in case the e-poll books have problems.
The other specific provisions in the contract for the Republican Party:
- TCRP will oversee hand counting of all mail ballots in the 2024 GOP primary
- Travis County Elections will provide configuration reports with a summary of ballots cast for each vote center for both early vote and Election Day.
- Travis County Elections will provide Cast Vote Record results report by polling location (previously, they were only provided by precinct and countywide).
- Travis County Elections will provide ballot-style reports to verify that Travis County does not have the same issues that Williamson County had with voters being given the wrong ballot.
- Additionally, TCRP worked with the Secretary of State's Office to develop an improved hand counting method that will increase the speed and accuracy.
This comes after last week, both parties missed a critical deadline for the primaries due to not being able to agree on how the election should be run.
In Texas, primary elections are organized by the parties and, historically, the parties come to an agreement on the mechanics of primary voting and send that to the clerk's office, which runs the primary.
During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Travis County Democrats said they should have had a finalized contract earlier, but Republicans were holding things up. They said Republicans did not want countywide polling.
"It basically assures that folks are going to be confused as to where to go when to go, how to vote," Naranjo said.
In a statement last week, Mackowiack wrote in part, "Everything we are seeking has been negotiated with Travis County Elections and has been blessed by the Texas Secretary of State's Office."
A Texas Secretary of State's Office staff member told KVUE that if a county has hand counting ballots, they must have precinct-based returns, meaning hand counting is incompatible with countywide polling.
County leaders issued the following statements:
“All Travis County residents, no matter their political affiliations or party, deserve access to accurate and fair elections. Despite the delay in finalizing the contract, I am relieved both parties were able to agree to continue the process that most voters have come to be familiar with, of a Joint Primary with countywide voting. This agreement ensures voters can continue to easily access voting at any polling location in the county, without confusion and disruption. I am confident this agreement will ensure a successful election with countywide voting and seamless experience,” said Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado.
“I commend the County Clerk for her leadership in negotiating a joint contract for the 2024 March Primary Election, uniting both political parties for the betterment of Travis County,” said Andy Brown, Travis County Judge. “This collaborative effort underscores our commitment to a transparent and just democratic process and serves as a testament to the County Clerk's dedication to fostering voter access that is convenient, safe and secure."