Resolution to End County-Wide Polling in Williamson County, Texas

( adopted 3-25-25 Regular Meeting Williamson County Republican Party):

WHEREAS the integrity and security of our elections are of the utmost importance to ensuring public trust and confidence in the electoral process; and

WHEREAS county-wide polling locations require the use of electronic poll books (ePollbooks), which have a documented history of malfunctions, security vulnerabilities, and system failures; and

WHEREAS, the Tenex ePollbook, is connected to the internet via a hotspot modem, posing continued risks to election security and reliability by needing to be connected to the internet in order to prevent a voter from being checked in as well as voting at more than one voting center within the county.; therefore, electronic systems create opportunities for data exposure, tracking and manipulation; and

WHEREAS county-wide polling has exposed real and legitimate concerns regarding the violation of the secrecy of the ballot, which is in direct conflict with Texas Election Code sec. 122.00: Voting systems Standards; (a) a voting system
may not be used in an election unless the system: (1) preserves the secrecy of
the ballot: and

WHEREAS, to comply with 2025 Texas Legislative Priority No. 2, addressing assigned precinct voting locations only; as well as 2024 Platform and Resolutions of the Republican Party of Texas, page 36-37 platform no. 221, Fair Elections Procedures; (p) Striking Chapter 43.007. COUNTYWIDE POLLING PLACE PROGRAM in the Texas Election Code; and requiring PRECINCT ONLY voting for any in-person voting with the using of paper poll books only; and

WHEREAS traditional precinct-based voting ensures greater election integrity by allowing voters to cast ballots within their designated precincts, eliminating reliance on vulnerable electronic systems, minimizing ballot secrecy concerns, enhancing community involvement, and preserving the localized accountability of election officials; and 2

WHEREAS Election Code 122.001 states
Sec. 122.001. VOTING SYSTEM STANDARDS.
(a) A voting system may not be used in an election unless the system:
(1) preserves the secrecy of the ballot;…
10) can provide records from which the operation of the voting system may be audited. Emergency Advisory 2024-20 lists redactions due to ballot secrecy concerns. It states, “In many circumstances, it is a combination of data points that may allow for an individual’s ballot to be located through the process of elimination.” This means the county wide system either violates system requirement (1) discussed above OR it violates (10) for the purpose of protecting
(1) and thus the system does not meet the code requirements by satisfying BOTH (1) and (10) at the same time; and

WHEREAS, the ability to audit an election is of utmost importance to garner citizen trust and complies with Chapter 552 Public Information, Sec. 522.001
which states “…it is the policy of this state that each person is entitled, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information about
the affairs of government…” which currently is being violated in order to comply with (1) from system requirements,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Williamson County calls on the Executive Committee to assess the feasibility of precinct-based voting over county- wide polling, factoring in cost & savings, infrastructure, voter access, and Texas Election Code compliance, and, if viable, to implement it for the 2026 Primary.

Adopted this 25th day of March 2025, by the Williamson County Republican Party Executive Committee.
Michelle Evans
Williamson County Republican Party Chairman