Honorable Bryan Hughes, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1234 by Hughes (Relating to a requirement that a voting system use a paper record or produce a paper receipt for verification purposes.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
This bill would amend the Election Code to require any voting system used in an election to be an auditable voting system that uses a paper record or produces a paper receipt by which a voter can verify that the voter's ballot will be counted accurately.
According to the Secretary of State, no significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Local Government Impact
The Secretary of State anticipates that this bill could have a significant impact on local governments, as many do not currently use the paper-based systems contemplated by the bill.
According to Hidalgo County, the cost for upgrading its existing voting system to meet the requirements of the bill would be $4.0 million for 1,419 conversions and 250 scanning machines.
According to Brazos County, the cost for upgrading its existing voting system to meet the requirements of the bill would be $1.3 million for 480 conversions and 60 scanning machines.
According to Randall County, it would cost the county $750,000 to retrofit the current system to a system that could provide a paper audit trail. The county also adds that the current system was purchased in 2017.
According to Brazoria County, the cost to retrofit the current system would be $2.6 million.
El Paso County anticipates a fiscal impact of approximately $6.2 million.
Chambers County anticipates a fiscal impact of approximately $1.1 million.