Paper trail voting technology brought to you by Travis County Republicans

As a major victory for advocates of ballot integrity, the Travis County Commissioners Court this week approved a new paper ballot backup hybrid voting system that combines electronic tabulations with a voter verified paper ballot.

According to the Austin American Statesman, the county's elections chief gave credit to the voters in general for paving the way for this innovation in voting technology.

“Our voters have been asking for it for a long time, and it was not available on the marketplace,” [Travis County Clerk Dana] DeBeauvoir, the county’s chief election official, said in an interview. “I tried to build it myself. We got a long way down the line, and ... we caused, we influenced the marketplace to come back and do this.”

For background read the Statesman article here: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/travis-county-purchase-million-paper-trail-voting-system

Who might "the voters" DeBeauvoir referred to be, exactly?

For several years, the Travis County Republican Party has been one of the primary voices calling for a paper trail for county election machines. According to a beaming Dr. Laura Pressley, former chair of the Travis GOP Elections Integrity Committee, it's a major step forward for anyone of any political persuasion.

"This is a great turn of events for Travis County elections because the new hybrid paper ballot backup system will allow a paper trail for auditing for recounts.  We've not had this in over 14 years," Pressley said. "We must stay engaged and continue to trust but verify and ensure all Texas election laws are followed."

Pressley, who famously contested her loss to City Councilman Greg Casar in 2014, says there is still room to grow when it comes to elections accountability. Travis County voters should advocate for further reforms, such as ensuring:

• Mandatory unique ballot numbers appear on all ballots, and 
• Election judges printing election returns at the polling locations before any voting equipment leaves the building.

According to Pressley, a Texas Attorney General opinion paved the way for this long-awaited reform. The opinion, requested by Rep. Lyle Larson (R-San Antonio) and issued by Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton, stated that hybrid systems can be used for countywide/vote center polling counties like Travis.

Read the opinion at:
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/opinions/51paxton/op/2017/kp0170.pdf

The Tracker would throw a ticker tape parade for the Travis GOP Elections Integrity Committee if it had the budget. At least we may now have the paper for it.