In a unanimous decision this past Monday, officials in Collin County chose a back-to-basics approach for their voting process. Come November 2025, voters will mark their ballots with a good old-fashioned pen. The Collin County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of equipment, such as voting booths and printers, totaling around $2.3 million to make this happen. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and fortify trust in the electoral system, as reported by Collin County's official news release.
The county isn't ditching technology entirely, though. Paper ballots, once filled out by hand, will be scanned and tallied using the same DS200 ballot scanners previously in use. "This is about restoring trust and strengthening the integrity of our elections," Collin County Judge Chris Hill remarked in a statement obtained by Collin County's news page. Voters will need to get used to the new old way of doing things, but officials are betting on the hand-marked method to reassure those who cast their votes.
Collin County has confirmed that disabled voters won't be left behind, maintaining accessible ballot-marking devices to support independent voting. Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux emphasized the ongoing commitment of the Elections Department to a smooth transition. "We look forward to educating the voters of Collin County on the details of this process so they can show up and vote with confidence during the November 2025 election," Breaux stated to Collin County's News Dispatch.
This decision wasn't out of the blue—the Commissioners had previously tasked the Elections Office with devising a plan for the adoption of hand-marked ballots. With over 750,000 registered voters as of the November 2024 election, it’s a significant shift for Collin County, which is striving to maintain secure and efficient elections for everyone. As the county's leadership stands united in this endeavor, they prepare to usher in an election season tinged with the novelty of tradition.
