Bexar Voters Reported Machines Changing Their Selections — an Elections Watchdog Says Switching Is Highly Unlikely, and the County Says Check Your Printed Ballot
At least three early voters told KSAT their selections changed on Bexar County touchscreens. Common Cause Texas says touchscreen sensitivity, not programming, is the likely cause; the county elections administrator says the equipment is secure — and that any voter whose printed ballot does not match should tell a poll worker immediately.
Despite concerns among Texas voters that touchscreen voting machines are switching their candidate selections, such a scenario is highly unlikely, according to Emily French, policy director for Common Cause Texas, who spoke during a call with reporters. Her comments came after KSAT reported at least three instances in which early voters alleged Bexar County voting machines switched their choices, at the Converse Community Events Center, Wonderland of the Americas and Macedonia Baptist Church; in all three reported incidents, voters told KSAT their selections changed from Democratic candidates to Republicans, the San Antonio Current reported.
"The machines are not switching your ballot," French said. "It may not reflect what you had in your brain when you pressed your finger to it, but people are used to touching iPhones and not Palm Pilots, and voting machines in Texas can often feel a lot more like a Palm Pilot than an iPhone." French said it is highly unlikely any outside force can cause the machines to switch votes from Democrat to Republican. Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew reiterated in a Friday statement that the county's equipment is secure, and said her office is responding to complaints and communicating with the machines' manufacturer to determine whether any action is needed. "If a printed ballot appears not to match a voter's intended choices, the voter should notify a poll worker immediately," she said.
The reports landed in a charged national argument over election integrity. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters in San Antonio on Sunday that Democrats are ready to protect voting rights on Election Day. "Democrats have stood up the largest voter protection effort in the history of a midterm election in America," Jeffries told the Current. Early voting in Bexar County continues through Friday, Oct. 30, and polls reopen on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3; voters who encounter intimidation or believe their right to vote is being infringed can call 866-OUR-VOTE.
