The Dallas County Republican Party has voted to hand-count all ballots cast on Election Day during the March 3 primary, citing long-standing concerns about the county’s voting systems.
Party Chairman Allen West said leaders approved the plan after a tabulation machine error discovered before last year’s election raised questions about reliability. Although officials corrected the problem, West argued that the incident underscored the need for stronger safeguards.
“We’re looking at capping this at $500,000. If it goes over the $500,000, we believe that is unfeasible,” West told CBS News. “So, we’re putting constraints on ourselves. Again, the executive committee said, ‘let’s try.’”
As many as 50,000 voters could cast ballots on Election Day. West said the party plans to recruit high school seniors and college students to help with the count. Hiring counters would drive costs higher and make the project harder to sustain, he said.
West told NBC 5 that the plan has already inspired younger people to get involved following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. “I hate to say it, but … young people … want to get involved and get engaged,” he said.
He added that the initiative should restore faith in elections. “So I do not think we will have a problem with getting the people that want to come out and participate in this because the success of this means that it is a success for everyone,” West told NBC 5. “This is not just about Republicans. It can be for Democrats, independents, whomever to restore our confidence in our electoral systems.”
Texas law requires ballots to be counted within 24 hours. Critics argue that hand counts can take longer, cost more, and risk errors compared to machine tabulation. In Gillespie County last year, it took 21 hours to hand-count 8,000 ballots, and officials had to correct multiple mistakes.
West said Dallas GOP leaders would use cameras, supervisors, and other checks to avoid problems. He added that party officials consulted Gillespie County Republicans to learn from their experience.
The hand count would apply only to Election Day ballots. Early voting will still be tabulated by machine.
Dallas County Democrats will not follow the same plan. Party Chairman Kardal Coleman told CBS News that Democrats will continue using machines, which he described as accurate. He also noted that separate primaries would increase costs for both parties.
West said party leaders are prepared to adapt the plan if needed, with options such as focusing on absentee ballots to ensure the process runs smoothly.