Tarrant County judge announces security changes ahead of November election

Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare outlined 16 changes in a press release on Wednesday, saying the county has made them "to bolster security and increase transparency in the election process."

Some, like the Election Integrity Task Force, were launched months ago.

“There is now a dedicated group inside the sheriff’s office and the district attorney’s office that will investigate and prosecute if anything happens, any election-related crimes," O'Hare told NBC 5.

In April, new, pre-printed, and sequentially numbered ballots were approved for in-person voters.

“Look at your ballot, you’ll see a number on your ballot. You can remember that number," O'Hare explained. “You can literally go look later online to see that your vote has been counted.”

O'Hare and supporters of the move said the ballots are easier to track and harder to copy. Other security changes are simpler, said O'Hare.

“It could be as simple as making sure the ballot bags are properly stored and properly secured. There’s a number of different things we did with passwords, internet security, the way we transmit things," he said.

Election night ballots will be delivered in person instead of via the Internet.

“A lot of times people have questions, have concerns, they call, and we alleviate their concerns, say there’s not a crime, not an issue. But we want to make sure people in Tarrant County know that elections will be secure. We want to make sure that everybody trusts the process, but if there are any shenanigans, we’re there, ready to put a stop to them and take action," O'Hare said of the changes.

Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said the list of changes does not include anything drastic.

"There's nothing really remarkable or particularly controversial in the list," he said.

Wilson said the only thing a bit unusual about the changes is that they come from a county where there haven't been significant accusations of voter fraud or irregularities.

In fact, a forensic audit of the 2020 general election by the office of the Texas Secretary of State found that Tarrant County held “a quality, transparent election.”

"So, it does seem perhaps that it's taking quite seriously a security threat that may be largely non-existent," said Wilson.

But, he said the move could be seen as pre-emptive, deterring bad behavior, and, as the judge hopes, a move to instill voter confidence.

"I think the vast majority of people looking at this new set of rules in Tarrant County would say, this is about as secure and safe and reliable as elections can reasonably get," Wilson said. "I think that the set of measures proposed here would likely allay the concerns of the vast majority of people who have doubts about electoral integrity."

Here is the full list of security changes O'Hare highlighted on Wednesday:

• All in-person voting will utilize pre-printed, serialized, sequentially numbered ballots.
• Rally site procedures now ensure Election Judges will properly seal ballot bags.
• Election night results will be transmitted in person rather than via the Internet.
• Implemented public search and viewing capability for ballot images.
• Enhanced and improved chain of custody for ballot bags, Election Judge paperwork, ballot
  storage box keys, and provisional ballots.
• Improved Election Judge paperwork for greater clarity and transparency.
• Enhanced Election Judges' and Clerks' training, ensuring statutory compliance and
  increased ballot security.
• Ballots will be stored in dedicated boxes at polling locations.
• E-Pollbooks have been updated to require stricter access controls.
• A live-stream camera has been placed in the Ballot Board storage room.
• Implemented an updated, more secure Voter Registration system.
• Conducted a physical security assessment of the Election Offices.
• Performed a cybersecurity assessment of the Election Offices.
• Updated multiple security protocols to ensure best practices and safeguard against election
  systems compromise.
• Other security measures were implemented after a comprehensive third-party analysis.
• Formed an Election Integrity Task Force to investigate any potential election-related crimes,
  with a dedicated hotline for reporting.

The press release also urged folks to call the Election Integrity Unit at the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office if they'd like to report any suspicious elected-related activity at 817-884-1213.