Texas Legislature averts $100 million consequences of law requiring nonexistent election technology | Natalia Contreras/Votebeat Texas
Texas lawmakers have passed a bill reversing a costly state law that required election officials to replace their existing vote-counting equipment with non-existent technology. The 2021 mandate, initially aimed at preventing vote data tampering, would have forced counties to purchase new equipment worth over $100 million. The newly approved bill allows counties to continue using their current equipment, addressing concerns raised by election officials and experts. The legislative session presented the best opportunity to amend the law before it took effect for the 2026 elections. The corrective legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Bryan Hughes, received unanimous approval from both chambers and will go into effect on September 1, relieving election administrators who had raised the alarm about the costly requirement. The law, based on a misunderstanding of its scope, would have necessitated the replacement of equipment each election at a significant expense. Read Article