Submitted by John M. Stafford | Special to TX3DNew
Editor’s Note:
This article was submitted by a community contributor and reflects their personal research and perspective. It has been lightly edited for clarity, length, and style. TX3DNews has not independently verified all claims or quotations included herein. Statements regarding legality, motivation, or constitutional authority reflect the contributor’s interpretation. Readers are strongly encouraged to consult official county records, meeting transcripts, and public documents for the most current and authoritative information.
In a sharp reversal from prior decisions, the Collin County Commissioners Court voted 4–0 on June 9 to transition to hand-marked paper ballots (HMPB) for the November 2025 election. While Commissioner Duncan Webb was absent for the vote, the remaining members directed county staff to fast-track preparations for the shift, including cost estimates, equipment needs, and logistical planning. A full implementation plan is expected by June 23.
The move aligns Collin County with a growing number of Texas jurisdictions opting for HMPB over machine-marked paper ballots (MMPB). The county already uses hand-marked ballots for vote-by-mail, and neighboring Denton County uses them for in-person voting as well. Unlike touchscreen systems that require voters to make selections via a digital interface, HMPB allows voters to mark choices directly on a printed ballot with a pen. These ballots are then scanned using the ES&S DS200 tabulators already owned by Collin County.
While the voting method itself is not new, the timing and reasoning behind the change have drawn attention. The county had previously planned to update its equipment in 2029. Accelerating that timeline by four years presents significant logistical hurdles. Hand-marked ballots are typically three times the size of machine-marked ballots, requiring more storage, additional printers at polling sites, and expanded warehousing between elections.
“The real issue is time, money, and space,” said one elections official at the meeting. “A proper implementation starts with finding new real estate. We haven’t even started that conversation yet.”
Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux, appointed earlier this year, told commissioners the shift is “logistically possible,” but acknowledged the compressed timeline. Breaux also noted that under the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the county must retain a limited number of accessible electronic voting machines—typically one per polling location, plus backups—for voters with disabilities. He estimated the total cost of the transition at $2.4 million, down from a $3–4 million estimate made by his predecessor in 2024.
The decision marks a major policy shift for one of Texas’ fastest-growing counties. It also reverses the outcome of a similar motion made in November 2024, when County Judge Chris Hill proposed the same change but failed to get a second. At the time, commissioners raised concerns about cost, feasibility, and timing.
Observers point to sustained pressure from a group of residents who have spoken frequently at Commissioners Court meetings since early 2021. Although Donald Trump won Collin County in both 2016 and 2020, several speakers have questioned the county’s use of MMPB systems and advocated for hand-marked ballots. Some of these individuals have indicated they may support primary challengers against commissioners who oppose such a shift.
A potential turning point came in late March 2025, when former President Trump—now campaigning for a return to office—issued a campaign executive order stating that ballot-marking devices should be decertified. While legal scholars emphasize that the president does not have constitutional authority to regulate elections at the county or state level, the statement added political pressure to local decision-making. Under Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, regulation of elections is delegated to state legislatures and Congress—not the executive branch.
Whether enforceable or not, the order appears to have motivated local officials to act. Last week, Commissioner Cheryl Williams seconded Hill’s motion, and the Court voted unanimously to proceed with implementation in time for the November 2025 constitutional election.
Breaux is expected to return to Commissioners Court on June 23 with a detailed plan and budget proposal.
While hand-marked ballots are widely used and considered secure, they come with tradeoffs. Voters can make marking errors, select more than one candidate, or spoil their ballots with stray marks or illegible handwriting. In those cases, elections staff must determine intent.
In Collin County, unreadable ballots go through a multi-step adjudication process. In both 2020 and 2024, approximately 6% of mail ballots failed to scan correctly on the first attempt. After additional passes, about 3% still required manual review by a bipartisan Ballot Board. In 2024, 511 mail ballots out of 16,143 (3.2%) were reviewed manually; in 2020, during the pandemic, 1,400 out of 35,650 underwent the same process.
In cases where voter intent is clear, ballots are duplicated by a bipartisan team for tabulation, with the original kept for auditing. In rare instances—such as ballots defaced with ambiguous symbols—the vote may be discarded.
As Breaux and his team prepare for the largest overhaul of Collin County’s voting system in decades, election officials say the success of the transition will depend on timely planning, sufficient funding, and clear communication with the public.
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Disclaimer:
This article contains analysis and commentary from a community contributor. TX3DNews does not independently verify or endorse every claim presented. For official information regarding election systems, equipment policy, and implementation timelines, please refer to the Collin County Elections Office and official minutes from the Collin County Commissioners Court.