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AUSTIN, Texas – Some Texas voters have complained about voting early, including at the high-profile Senate battle between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O'Rourke.
The Secretary of State said Friday that problems have been reported with the Hart eSlate voting machines, used in about 30% of counties in the country and equipped with a selection wheel candidates and buttons to pass a screen to another. But it is said that they are caused by the voters themselves and often occur when they fill in and submit the ballots too quickly.
"The eSlate Hart machines do not work badly, the reported problems are a result of a user error – in general, voters press a button or use the selection dial before the user can. screen is rendered, "said Sam Taylor, spokesman for the state secretary's office. Rolando Pablos, who was nominated by Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
The machines are used in about 80 counties, including the largest state, Harris, which houses Houston, as well as Travis, which includes Austin, and Tarrant, encompassing Fort Worth. Early voting in Texas began Monday and was characterized by high turnout and long lines. It will run until November 2, before election day, November 6.
Texas Hart eSlate machines do not provide receipts or other types of written records to voters, but voting voters see a screen indicating their choices prior to final submission – and may go back and make changes. Complaints about reverse votes have arisen elsewhere in previous election cycles. Similar machines are being used in parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia, according to Verified Voting, a nonprofit group aimed at ensuring accurate elections.
In a statement to supporters on Friday, Cruz quoted "several reports" on the race selection change and added "once you've selected the Republican ticket, wait and do not select" next "as long as vote will not have filled all the selections. "
Keith Ingram, the state secretary's election director, on Tuesday issued a notice to county clerks and election administrators: "We heard a number of people who voted on Hart eSlate machines that when they had voted right, it had appeared to them that the machine had changed one or more of their selections into a candidate from another party. "
The Texas Democratic Party described the issue as "dysfunctional" and said it caused the Democrats to inadvertently vote for Cruz. He also accused the secretary of state's office of not doing enough to warn voters of potential problems.
Party president Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement that "the Texas Republican government blamed the voters and did nothing." He called for an announcement across the civil service to warn voters, train election officials on the issue and eliminate "all faulty machines".
Taylor said Friday that his office "has already trained election officials through our annual elections law seminars, requires election administrators to post additional signs in multiple languages, forcing county officials to keep a detailed journal and meticulous of all the malfunctions "all the machines that work badly. "
Taylor also said that his office "has no legal authority to compel a" vendor of voting machines "to perform upgrades if their voting systems are in compliance with federal and state laws," and that Hart eSlate's system was certified in 2009. He stated that the counties are responsible for the purchase of their new voting materials.
"We will continue to educate Texas voters using existing resources," said Taylor, "and we urge all Texans who vote to take their time, slow down and carefully review their ballot prior to voting. to vote one. "
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