Election Equipment Malfunctions Disrupt Voting in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX – The voting process at the Texas Department of Transportation's polling center on 4502 Knickerbocker Road faced an unexpected glitch when the ballot scanner malfunctioned, plunging the device into an "Alert Mode." Vona Hudson, the Elections Administrator, reported that the malfunction prevented election workers from resolving the issue promptly.

Tom Green County has invested millions in election and balloting equipment, particularly after new state laws passed post-2020 presidential election mandated fresh software and hardware for the past two electoral cycles. These upgrades were designed to ensure the accurate counting of every ballot.

The voting procedure involves an electronic polling booth capturing each voter's selections and printing a scannable 8.5x11 paper ballot with those choices. A vote is only deemed official once this paper ballot is scanned. It's important to note that the electronic voting machines do not count votes; vote tallying is solely the domain of the scanners.

A scanner breakdown on election day is significant. However, Hudson assures that there are established protocols for such situations. The printed ballots will be securely stored at the polling site until the close of voting at 7 p.m. Subsequently, they will be transported under strict security to the elections office at the Edd B. Keyes Building for scanning and tabulation.

Dispelling rumors, Hudson confirmed that ballots cast at the TxDOT site are considered official and will not be relegated to "provisional" status. The solution is straightforward: instead of individual scanning, all ballots will be processed together later in the evening, ensuring they are included in the final tally.

Voters across Tom Green County are making their decisions on 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution during the November 7 Special Election. The polls will remain open until 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7, 2023. County residents can vote at any voting center regardless of the precinct the voter resides. Here are the polling locations.