VOTING SECURITY - In the aftermath of the 2020 election, voting machines came under intense scrutiny, with a wide variety of false claims that have even sparked lawsuits. Like their counterparts in other states, elections administrators in Texas have spent months gearing up for the midterms. Only two manufacturers are certified to sell voting systems in Texas – they are: Hart InterCivic and Election Systems & Software, or ES&S. And they go through a rigorous screening process, first at the federal level, then from the state. Texas Secretary of State John Scott, a Republican, explained in a video message from his office.
“In Texas, we have even higher standards for our voting systems which must be certified by our office in conjunction with computer science experts and legal experts at the Texas Attorney General’s Office,” Scott said.
If any voting machine company makes an update to its machines or software, it must be recertified. About half of Texas counties use Hart InterCivic. The other half uses ES&S.
There has been plenty of mis-information being spread about voting machine security. One such allegation is that machines can be hacked remotely on the world-wide-web. Secretary Scott says this is simply not true.
“Voting machines in Texas are never connected to the Internet. In fact, in order to be certified in Texas elections, they cannot even have the capability of connecting to the Internet,” Scott explained.
But how is the voting data recorded and counted? Election officials explain that USB drives inside the machines record the votes, encrypt the data and when removed, are locked up in an isolated, secure tabulation room. The USB Drives can only pull data from and provide data to officially approved voting machines. In other words, you can’t simply plug the USB drives into a random computer and add false information or delete votes.
“There are strict requirements and chain of custody protocols that poll workers must follow continuously with each voting machine,” Scott said.
There’s also a constant paper trail for ballots and voting machines. In case of an audit, paper ballots and USBs are retained for a period after an election. And voting machines themselves have numbered seals and multiple padlocks to prevent tampering. And voting machines are tested twice before every election and then again afterwards. The first test is usually open to the public. With all the rigorous protocols in place, Texas Secretary of State Scott says he’s extremely confident about his state’s voting machines for the midterm election.