Tarrant elections office will switch to prenumbered ballots following party-line vote

Tarrant County will use prenumbered, sequential ballots in the Nov. 5 presidential elections following a party-line vote of the Tarrant County Election Board. After the vote, County Judge Tim O’Hare said using prenumbered ballots was a top request from constituents, along with lowering property taxes. “The more you can do, within reason, where people have trust that this (election) is accurate, it truly reflects the vote, I think we’re all the better,” O’Hare said. Democratic Party Election Chair Crystal Gayden was the lone vote against purchasing the prenumbered ballots. O’Hare, Republican Party Chair Bo French and Sheriff Bill Waybourn, all Republicans, voted yes to the change. Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig recused himself from the vote, saying he did not want to vote on an agenda item that directed him to perform a task.

Both Gayden and O’Hare acknowledged that the decision fell along party lines. O’Hare questioned Democrats’ opposition to the change. “I think the question I would have to ask of the Democrats is, why don’t you want this? Because I know it’s not because you’re doing everything you can to save $39,000.” Following the vote, Gayden said she wasn’t convinced that elections would be made more secure using prenumbered ballots. “Our system has shown and proven, election cycle after election cycle, that there is no need to put in additional measures because it’s not broken,” Gayden said. Despite elections across the country, including in Tarrant County, undergoing forensic audits that found no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have influenced the election results, several speakers expressed a desire for Tarrant County elections to be made more secure. Seven speakers at the Election Board meeting spoke in favor of purchasing the prenumbered ballots, and five spoke against it. “I think this will improve the trust of the system,” Waybourn said. “I think it’s well worth the cost to help give people confidence in what we’re doing.”