Concerns about election integrity have grown in recent years, with particular attention given to the role of voting machines and electronic systems. In Texas, where counties are responsible for conducting elections under state oversight, a combination of legal requirements, procedural safeguards, and technology choices aims to protect the security, accuracy, and auditability of every vote.
This article explains how voting machines are used across Texas, what security practices are in place, and how counties—from Harris to Travis to rural jurisdictions—work to maintain voter confidence.
Overview of Voting Systems Used in Texas
Texas counties must use voting machines that are certified by both the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Texas Secretary of State. The state allows a limited number of vendors, primarily Hart InterCivic and Election Systems & Software (ES&S), to ensure that all systems meet security, accessibility, and auditability standards.
Voting systems fall into three broad categories:
- Ballot Marking Devices (BMDs): Touchscreen machines used to mark choices on a paper ballot.
- Optical Scanners: Machines that read and tabulate paper ballots.
- Hybrid Systems: Devices that both mark and tabulate ballots, but always produce a paper record.
Since 2018, Texas has required all new voting systems to produce a voter-verifiable paper trail, and most counties now meet that standard.
Security Measures Across the State
Texas election law—primarily the Texas Election Code, Chapter 129—imposes multiple layers of election security:
- Logic and Accuracy Testing: All voting machines must pass public pre-election tests verifying that votes are recorded and counted correctly.
- No Internet Connectivity: Voting machines and tabulators are prohibited from being connected to the internet or wireless networks.
- Secure Chain of Custody: Equipment is sealed, tracked, and stored with logs of who has access and when5.
- Paper Ballots: All systems in current use produce or rely on physical paper ballots that can be reviewed by voters2.
- Post-Election Reconciliation: Totals from machines, scanners, and paper ballots are reviewed and reconciled before results are certified.
Additionally, counties participate in vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity exercises, many coordinated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
County-Level Implementations
Travis County (Austin area)
Travis County uses Hart InterCivic’s Verity system, which allows voters to make selections on a BMD and print a paper ballot. The printed ballot is then scanned and securely stored. The county conducts public testing before and after elections and maintains detailed audit logs. Travis County also played a leading role in the design of the experimental STAR-Vote system, an academic collaboration to improve election transparency.
Harris County (Houston area)
Harris County, the largest in the state, transitioned in 2022 to a fully paper-based, auditable voting process. Voters use touchscreens to mark their ballots, which are then printed and scanned. The county publishes logic and accuracy testing results and operates a publicly viewable central count process.
Tarrant County (Fort Worth area)
Tarrant County uses a Hart-based BMD and scanner system. The county emphasizes public transparency, with bipartisan observers at every stage of machine testing and tabulation. It has also piloted risk-limiting audits, a statistically sound post-election audit method.
Smith County (Tyler area)
Smith County uses ES&S ExpressVote ballot marking devices with DS200 optical scanners. The county conducts public logic and accuracy tests, maintains detailed chain-of-custody records, and stores ballots in compliance with federal retention requirements.
Smaller and Rural Counties
Many rural counties such as Fayette and Blanco use hand-marked paper ballots tabulated by optical scanners. These simpler systems are still subject to all applicable state testing, sealing, and audit requirements.
Addressing Common Concerns
Q: Are machines connected to the internet?
A: No. Texas law prohibits voting machines and tabulators from being connected to the internet or wireless networks. Machines are air-gapped, and vote totals are transferred via physical media under seal.
Q: Can machines be hacked?
A: In theory, any system can be compromised—but in practice, Texas voting machines are tested publicly, sealed, and monitored throughout the election process. A successful attack would require physical access, insider cooperation, and evasion of post-election audits and reconciliations.
Q: What if the printed ballot doesn’t match the screen?
A: Voters are required to review their printed ballots. If a discrepancy is noticed, the ballot can be spoiled and re-cast. Ballots are not counted until the voter deposits them into a scanner.
Q: Are results verifiable after the election?
A: Yes. Paper ballots are preserved for at least 22 months in federal elections and may be audited or recounted if needed. Several counties now use risk-limiting audits to further verify outcomes.
Q: Have there been real problems?
A: Some older systems (like the Hart eSlate) once raised concerns about straight-ticket voting behavior, but these have since been replaced with verifiable, auditable systems statewide.
Transparency and Oversight
Texas’s modern voting system is based on paper ballots, secure equipment, and auditable records. Whether marked by hand or by machine, every ballot cast in the state produces a physical record that can be reviewed, challenged, or recounted. Legal safeguards, public testing, and growing adoption of risk-limiting audits provide meaningful protections against fraud or error.
The Texas Secretary of State oversees the certification and auditing of voting systems. Counties are required to:
- Conduct pre-election logic and accuracy tests;
- Allow public observers at tabulation and canvassing;
- Maintain sealed storage and logs for all machines and ballots;
- Reconcile vote counts using multiple independent records.
Many large counties, such as Harris and Travis, go beyond these requirements by livestreaming parts of the process and publishing documentation online.
