Several local constituents attended a legislative briefing on election integrity that was held in Austin on January 24th. Senator Bob Hall kicked off the session and five cybersecurity experts presented information about the ease with which voting machines can be manipulated, despite claims that they cannot be connected to the internet or that they have been certified for use by government agencies.
I watched the recorded briefing session online via TexasFirst.org and viewed the other resources on that website. What I saw was indeed concerning.
While I make no accusations that election tampering or fraud has occurred in our Kerr County elections, I believe our commissioners court must do all we can to ensure that our local elections are secure, transparent, and accurate so that our voters can trust our election results and will continue to participate in one of our most sacred democratic duties, that of voting for elected officials.
That is why our Commissioners Court agreed unanimously to hold a workshop on election integrity wherein we can explore how Kerr County currently executes the election process, understand the system’s vulnerabilities, and then make informed decisions on how to improve, if necessary, our election process to ensure that it is as secure, transparent, and accurate as possible.
Two of the legislative briefing cybersecurity experts, Mark Cook and Clint Curtis, have indicated a willingness to attend our workshop either in person or by zoom meeting, depending on the final date.
If you are concerned about election integrity, I encourage you to attend the public workshop. Details on the date, time and location for the workshop will be posted on the county’s website. In the meantime, visit TexasFirst.org for more information.
Rich Paces
Kerr County Commissioner, Precinct 2