Collin County Switches to Hand‑Marked Paper Ballots for November

Collin County News

June 23, 2025 Maverick Tax Guardians

Collin County, TX In a unanimous vote on June 9, the Collin County Commissioner’s Court approved a shift from electronic ballot marking devices (BMDs) to hand‑marked paper ballots for the upcoming November constitutional amendment election. The change, initiated by County Judge Chris Hill, tasks voters to fill in ovals by hand and scan ballots at polling stations.

Why the Change?

Voter concerns over election security prompted the move away from barcode-driven ballots.
The county will comply with the March executive order from former President Trump calling for “voter‑verifiable paper records”.

Numbers & Logistics

Estimated Cost: ~$2.4 million less than earlier projections of $3–4 million.
Includes expenses for privacy booths (~~$525,000), ballot stock (~~$144,000), printers, batteries, and carts.
Voter base: ~750,000 registered voters; the change affects over 30 jurisdictions including McKinney, Plano, Frisco, and Prosper.
The county will retain ~300 BMDs for ADA compliance, while offloading ≈1,500 units and dropping maintenance costs from $556K to ~$210K.

What Comes Next

Elections staff will present detailed implementation plans by June 23, targeting readiness for early voting beginning Oct. 20.
Processing will rely on current scanners configured for Collin County to move to hand-marked ballots for November election scanning hand‑filled ballots, with increased checks during tabulation.
Voter education and training for election staff are being prioritized before Election Day.

Source
This news article is based on information from
Community Impact- “Collin County to move to hand-marked ballots for November election”( June 17, 2025). Retrieved from:https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/mckinney/government/2025/06/16/collin-county-to-move-to-hand-marked-ballots-for-november-election/