Republicans in two Texas counties ditch plans to hand-count ballots

Texas Republicans in two counties who were pushing to count ballots by hand in their March primaries are abandoning their plans, citing logistical concerns.

Texas Republicans in two counties who were pushing to count ballots by hand in their March primaries are abandoning their plans, citing logistical concerns.

The Dallas County Republican Party said it called off its efforts after it struggled to recruit enough volunteers and stay on budget. And the Hays County Republican Party said it ran into issues around complying with federal voting laws.

Republicans in both counties will use ballot-counting machines, as they have in the past, for the March 3 primary, which features contests for the Senate, the House, governor and other down-ballot offices.

In Texas, political parties, not local governments, are in charge of Election Day voting in primaries, a process that gives partisan officials unusual authority over election administration. Democrats and Republicans in the state often administer elections jointly and outsource the tasks to county election officials, so their expenses can be reimbursed by the Texas secretary of state.

Last year, Republicans in at least a half-dozen Texas counties considered or made plans to hand-count ballots, a process that would have required them to run their elections separate from Democrats and at the precinct level.