As the 2016 election approaches, Texas counties are looking toward future elections and the possibility that the machines you use to vote might begin breaking down. “The longer we delay purchasing new equipment, the more problems we risk,” the authors of a 2015 report from the Brennan Center for Justice wrote. “The biggest risk is increased failures and crashes, which can lead to long lines and lost votes.” The report points to a lifespan of 10 to 20 years for key components in the electronic systems. Travis County uses machines from 2001. Williamson County uses a system that it purchased around 10 years ago, putting both systems in the range for issues.
“[Maintenance] can get tricky as these things get older in time,” said Christopher Davis, the elections administrator for Williamson County. “But we have the full faith in [the current electronic machines] and we intend to keep using them as long as we can.”
Davis says the county has begun discussions about using newer technology in the future. However, the county has not set definitive plans.
“I know in my short experience here that Williamson County is very, very fiscally responsible,” said Davis. “The scale between Williamson County and Travis County is going to be totally, totally different. So I think Williamson County is in a good place to consider this option or looking into putting public funds into improving the infrastructure of their voting system.”
Full Article: Counties grapple with aging electronic voting systems | KXAN.com.
