STATE SENATE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES KOLKHORST’S BILL REQUIRING A PAPER TRAIL FOR ALL ELECTIONS SYSTEMS

  

The Texas Senate has unanimously passed a bill from local State Senator Lois Kolkhorst to require a voter-verifiable paper audit trail for all elections systems.

According to a release from Kolkhorst’s office, Senate Bill 598 also prohibits any voting system from being connected to the internet and includes a risk limiting audit to ensure the accuracy of voting systems.

The bill was passed on Monday, and now heads to the Texas House.

Texas is one of only three states that uses a paperless trail system in some areas.  In her release, Kolkhorst claims if the bill is signed into law, Texas will be considered to have “one of the most accurate vote counting systems in the nation.”

Kolkhorst said in 2005, she filed one of the first bills calling for a paper ballot trail to combat election fraud.  She said she is glad to see this bill through after years of efforts and many visits with concerned constituents.  She said elections are “the bedrock of our republic,” and “ensuring that our elections are conducted to the highest standards possible is a must.”

Upon passage of the bill, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released a statement saying it is notable that the bill passed with unanimous and bipartisan support, considering the current rhetoric around election security.  He said both political parties have expressed mistrust in the final outcome of elections over the past several years, and bills like these will help “rebuild that trust.”