Election integrity workshop casts doubt on elections, leaders push back

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A presentation to Brazos County Commissioner Court Tuesday discussed election integrity concerns and how elections can be more secure, but some leaders pushed back on doubts about local election security.

Walter Daugherity, a Texas A&M Computer Science and Engineering Professor, began by saying fraud concerns and issues at polling locations exacerbate doubt in voters. Daugherity went as far to say that a number of fraud incidents and polls of voters prove the U.S. does not have fair elections.

One of his big pushes is for leaders to ditch electronic voting capabilities and move to paper ballots with hand counting, but commissioners voiced their trust in local voting machines.

Following recent elections, while cases of voter fraud exist, reports from state and federal entities have been released saying there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Brazos County Judge, Duane Peters, said he feels secure in the current Brazos County processes.

“I think the computerized voting can be as safe as anything. I mean obviously as Dr. Daugherity pointed out the race back in South Texas, the Johnson days. Those are all-hand counted, hand ballots and it was inaccurate. And so I think you have inaccuracy anywhere. I think we try to make out what the system we’ve got as safe as we possibly can and do the things that I think will hopefully get people to understand that our elections are safe,” he said.

Two comments made during the presentation have had some pushback from local elections officials. Daugherity told the group electronic machines connect to the internet, making them susceptible to hacks.

“The polling places use a hotspot that connects the machines to the internet and as a computer scientist an engineer, that’s a vulnerability to have things connected to the internet,” he said.

This is where his push for paper ballots originates. But, county election officials say the voting machines used here are never connected to an internet source.

The presenter also expressed he feels voting machines in Texas lack the proper certification. Daugherity told the group there isn’t appropriate certification signatures coming from the United States Election Assistance Commission. But, according to local officials, voting machines are federally certified and would not be able to be used in federal elections without it.

During the presentation, leaders found some common ground when Daugherity noted the need for additional audits. Currently, three precincts are chosen at random after the election for a hand count. Daugherity told the group this should be expanded.

“The state already requires that we audit with three precincts, but if we were to add three more on and randomly come up with three and count them, if the numbers are accurate, they’re accurate. If they’re not, they’re not,” Peters said.

“We can take some I think very easy-to-enact procedures that will harden our target as far as compromising integrity and I think we should do that. I think we will,” Commissioner Steve Aldrich said.