Election Administration and Voting Technology

Republican parties in Dallas and Hays counties in Texas have dropped plans to hand‑count all ballots in the March primary, concluding the effort would be too costly, labor‑intensive and risky under state and federal election rules. Dallas County GOP chair Allen West said the party recruited only about half of the more than 3,000 volunteers needed and had raised roughly $500,000 but still feared missing Texas’s 24‑hour counting deadline, while Hays County GOP chair Michelle Lopez cited a lack of accessible voting machines and delayed election data that she said could expose the party and voters to legal, financial and operational risks.