Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
This coverage is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting access. The article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeat’s republishing policy.
In the past two months, the responsibility of managing elections in Kerr County has been passed around between three individuals. The initial two authorities abandoned their roles after a Republican county official diligently campaigned for months to eliminate electronic voting machines and implement manual ballot counting. This initiative has caused a rift in the predominantly Republican county, which is characterized by its picturesque Hill Country landscape divided by the Guadalupe River. As a consequence of the frequent turnover, the taxpayers will incur expenses of approximately $250,000.
Despite the failure thus far, Paul Zohlen, the Chair of Kerr County Republican Party, informed Votebeat that the endeavor, primarily spearheaded by Republican County Commissioner Rich Paces, has inflicted severe damage on one of the most exemplary election departments in the state.
Zohlen stated that this was an unprecedented occurrence, and as a result, the county clerk will need to assemble a team and provide them with the necessary 10 to 15 years of experience by March 2024.
Elections in Kerr County, which is home to Kerrville and has a population exceeding 50,000 people, were overseen by the tax assessor’s office until late August. Bob Reeves, a Republican who was elected to the position in 2018, stated to Votebeat that he declined to carry on with the responsibilities due to the increasing lack of trust in the electoral process. This situation made an already challenging, demanding, and poorly compensated job nearly impracticable.
“The situation I found myself in was like being caught between a rock and a hard place,” Reeves explained. He expressed how the recent requests for hand counting, which were based on unfounded doubts about the current system’s security, made the task appear utterly futile.
Consequently, Jackie Dowdy, the county clerk, was given the responsibilities. However, she also declined and chose to resign from her position completely. As a result, Ian Collum, her chief deputy, was appointed as the temporary clerk while the county initiates the process of finding a new clerk. Despite lacking experience in managing elections for over ten years, he and his colleagues in that department will now be responsible for assisting Kerr County’s 40,000 registered voters in casting their ballots in 2024.
Fueled by misinformation and baseless claims that electronic voting equipment is manipulated to change election results, the push to hand count ballots in Kerr County is similar to other efforts happening across Texas and elsewhere. Communities that have recently embraced hand counting of ballots — a method that election administration experts have said and studies have shown is less accurate, more costly, and less secure — have become hotly divided. In some cases, such as Cochise County, Arizona, it has pushed election officials out of their jobs and fractured trust in local elections.
Votebeat was informed by experts that the damage caused by the attempt to manually count votes in Kerr and other places has led to a loss of trust in elections, which could take several years to rectify.
“Communities are investing an astonishing amount of time addressing a non-existent problem, inadvertently giving rise to a multitude of genuine issues,” stated Justin Grimmer, a professor in the political science department and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Grimmer is presently engaged in research on the manual counting of ballots in various counties nationwide.
Few counties in Texas, specifically those with populations under 10,000, choose to manually count their election results. One such county is Glasscock County in West Texas, which has less than 800 registered voters. It is impractical for them to invest in costly equipment when the task can be easily accomplished by hand. Due to their small population and concise ballots, these counties are able to swiftly finish and submit their vote totals within 24 hours of the polls closing on Election Day.
Currently, the progress of manually tallying ballots in Kerr County has come to a halt. Despite the unsuccessful vote this autumn to modify the county’s counting procedure before 2024, both Paces and the officials responsible for elections in the county are confident that this battle is not yet concluded.
Votebeat was told by Paces that this was merely the initial skirmish.
Officials reach a breaking point
Bob Reeves’ small office is located behind a counter where clerks assist residents with tasks such as updating vehicle registration, paying property taxes, filing for licenses, and updating voter registration. The surface of his desk is often obscured by stacks of paperwork, indicating the heavy workload he handles. Additionally, the bookcase behind him is filled with even more stacks of papers, reflecting the numerous responsibilities Reeves has as the county’s tax assessor and election official. He faces consecutive state-mandated deadlines for both roles, requiring him to diligently meet all obligations.
According to Reeves, he and his team were aware of individuals in the community who had concerns or a lack of confidence in the elections process throughout the years. However, they consistently made an effort to assist and educate these individuals to the best of their abilities.
The task of defending the process and his job became significantly more challenging when faced with distrust from someone like Paces, a man holding a seat at the commissioners’ court dais.
Over the course of the last eight months, Reeves consistently found himself in a situation where he had to repeatedly set aside the piles of motor vehicle registration, property tax, and elections documents he needed to finish. This was necessary in order to get ready for the upcoming commissioners court meeting, where the validity of the voting equipment he uses would be challenged, often without considering the actual facts.
Reeves expressed concern to Votebeat that the idea of hand counting put him at risk of facing legal consequences. He feared that if the county faced a lawsuit regarding the outcome of a future election or if the accuracy of hand counting was questioned in court, he would be unable to defend this practice. Additionally, Reeves lacked confidence in hand counting being completed within the legally mandated timeframe, which demands that counties report results within 24 hours after polls close. Moreover, Reeves found it challenging to justify why commissioners had conflicting opinions on trusting electronic vote-counting equipment, despite his personal belief in the machines.
Reeves explained to Votebeat that he could not effectively perform his job without the unanimous support of others. According to the law, if the county does not establish an elections department and appoint an elections administrator, the county clerk is responsible for serving as the county elections officer. However, the Texas Election Code permits the county commissioners to transfer the election administration responsibilities from the clerk to the tax-assessor collector, if necessary and if both departments agree. Kerr County opted for this arrangement in 2008.
Jackie Dowdy, the county clerk who stepped down in September, chose not to provide any comment regarding the motive behind her resignation when approached by Votebeat. In a subsequent public meeting held two weeks after Reeves disclosed his intention to hand over his responsibilities, Dowdy expressed her frustration regarding the sudden alteration in her department and mentioned that Reeves had never contacted her regarding his decision.
In the elections’ transition plan, Reeve’s office will retain responsibility for voter registration, with only one of Reeves’ employees transferring to Dowdy’s former department. Dowdy expressed concern to the commissioners, stating that having only one experienced person is insufficient and requested the addition of three more staff members. Dowdy emphasized that this change will impact the entire staff, necessitating additional space, desks, and desktop computers, resulting in increased expenses.
Kerr County taxpayers will bear the estimated cost of $250,000, as budgeted by the commissioners for such expenses.
How the hand-count movement came to Kerr County
Paces ran for his seat on the Kerr County Commissioners Court last year with a campaign focused on frugal spending and election integrity. An Ohio native and retired engineer, Paces and his wife moved to the Texas Hill Country in the early 2000s.
After being on the job for less than a month, he began to receive text messages from local right-wing activist Alicia Bell, who said she was at the Capitol for an “election integrity legislative briefing.” The event featured Bob Hall, a Dallas-area senator who has for years pushed to eliminate electronic voting equipment; Texas GOP Vice Chair Dana Myers, who led efforts to remove Texas from an effective voter list maintenance tool; and Russ Ramsland, a Texas businessman who is widely known to spread false election conspiracies.
“Can you put voting on the agenda?” Bell asked Paces via text message, according to records obtained by the news outlet the Kerr County Lead and shared with Votebeat. “The whole presentation was jaw dropping.” Bell has been a thorn in the side of Kerr County government since she moved to the area from California. She’s a frequent speaker at commissioners court meetings who has denied that the COVID-19 pandemic is real and is against vaccine mandates.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who refused to comment on this story when approached by Votebeat, expressed that their primary responsibility is to govern the local community, not to pay heed to online sources or Fox News. In 2021, when Bell alleged that doctors were intentionally exaggerating COVID-19 positive cases to create fear, Judge Kelly informed her that as a newcomer from California, she may be unfamiliar with the functioning of local government in Texas, emphasizing the importance of adhering to and upholding the law.
In February, just under a month since Bell sent Paces that text message, he introduced the subject of elections as a matter to be addressed in the commissioners court agenda. His suggestion was to organize an election integrity workshop, allowing the public and fellow county commissioners to directly listen to insights from “experts.”
The workshop, which was agreed upon by the commissioners, was held at the county commissioners court in March. In attendance were Reeves, who explained the relevant laws and procedures, and a representative from Hart Intercivic, a Texas-based election machine vendor, who discussed the security features of their voting machines. Additionally, Mark Cook, an election conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed IT expert from Colorado, was invited by Paces. Cook has been unsuccessfully attempting to convince Texas counties to replace their voting equipment, and has traveled in a branded RV to various counties including Uvalde, Nueces, Bexar, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Denton, and Gillespie. However, his proposals have been consistently rejected by county leaders and election officials.
Days after the event, Paces traveled to Waco for former president Donald Trump’s first 2024 presidential campaign rally.
Reeves, in the meantime, made efforts to convince Paces and the other commissioners that manually counting the ballots of over 38,000 registered voters in the county was impractical. Collaborating with county employees, Reeves conducted a test to determine the time required for counting 100 ballots from Kerr County’s Republican primary in March 2020. “Upon careful observation, it took an hour to count 32 ballots,” Reeves revealed.
Moreover, he cautioned that the county is currently facing difficulties in recruiting sufficient election workers and securing suitable facilities for the 20 polling locations required for each election. If the county were to resort to manual vote counting, it would most likely have to double the number of poll workers, allocate additional funds to compensate them, and procure larger spaces to facilitate the hand counting process in accordance with the volume of ballots. “We would be looking at a minimum of 200 individuals working tirelessly,” Reeves stated.
Paces remained unconvinced by the evidence presented by Reeves or any other individuals.
Right-wing celebrities draw a crowd
The records shared with Votebeat show that activists from local far-right political action committee We The People and other voter fraud activists from neighboring counties have helped drive this momentum. He also had the help of national names in the “election integrity” movement, such as Seth Keshel, that has grown out of the lies about the outcome of the 2020 election.
Paces organized an Election Integrity Town Hall in August, which drew approximately 300 attendees. The expo hall at the county’s fairgrounds in Kerrville was packed with participants. The town hall lasted for almost six hours.
Many were there to see Tina Peters, the former Mesa County Colorado clerk who was indicted last year on felony and misdemeanor charges related to election equipment tampering after she allowed unauthorized people break into her county’s election system in hopes of finding evidence of fraud. As she walked in, Peters received a standing ovation from the crowd of mostly senior citizens. The crowd fell silent when she took the stage, listening as she explained why the voting machines and government officials — including those who arrested her — could not be trusted. She also denied any wrongdoing on her part related to criminal charges against her, and provided no evidence that Kerr County’s elections were flawed.
Peters claimed that there are Democrats, Republicans, Marxists, and globalists who intend to seize control of your nation. She further highlighted her website, live streamed video show, and an upcoming documentary as sources of information on this matter. According to her, these individuals manipulate the election process and choose the officials they desire, rather than allowing a fair and democratic selection.
Other speakers included Keshel, Hall, and Cook, who is connected to self-proclaimed “election integrity” groups across the country, and to clerks who have tried to illegally obtain access to voting systems. He described hand counting as a type of salvation for towns seeking to boost election confidence.
Cook addressed the crowd, expressing that government and election officials resort to electronic voting systems for vote counting, implying that they believe the citizens lack the ability to count their own votes. However, Cook confidently asserted that this mindset was no longer valid. The crowd responded with enthusiastic cheers, and a few onlookers even exclaimed “Amen!”
According to the records, Paces organized travel arrangements and personally covered the expenses for Peters and Cook. Additionally, both individuals were accommodated as guests in Paces’ residence situated in the eastern part of the county.
He made a formal proposal in September, suggesting that the county should conduct a hand count of the ballots for the upcoming November general election.
The motion to proceed was unable to advance as none of the other commissioners, all of whom were Republicans, were willing to second it. However, the vote’s failure does not reflect any shortage of enthusiasm within the county. The meeting room was packed to its full capacity, with additional individuals waiting outside to voice their opinions on the matter.
Most of those who showed up to speak were Republicans — 75% of the county voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020. They were divided by the prospect of hand counting ballots.
Bill Ragsdale, a justice of the peace in Kerr County, emphasized the significant delay that hand counting can cause, which could potentially have an impact on the entire state of Texas. He shared an example from the 80s when Kerr County’s hand-counting process caused a three-day delay in the state’s election. Ragsdale recalled how the counters worked tirelessly day and night to count all the votes, but the accuracy of the final count remained uncertain. He admitted that everyone involved was eager for the counting process to conclude.
Many proponents of hand counting were undeterred by concerns regarding expenses and time. Roger Hall, an Ingram resident expressing his support for hand counting and his lack of trust in voting machines, emphasized the need to address the existing lack of confidence in our current system. He asserted that this sentiment resonated with many others present at the gathering.
Paces has ventured out to take this show on tour.
In Medina County, a small county located two hours to the south of Kerr County, he and Cook made an appearance shortly after his August event in Kerr. Their objective was to encourage others to adopt hand counting as well. Paces, who has no prior experience working in elections, organized a demonstration to showcase the process of hand counting. A group of four individuals gathered around a table, retrieved ballots from cardboard bankers boxes, and began tallying.
Paces urged the attendees of the demonstration to come together around the table and witness firsthand how it is done. “You will witness the utmost transparency,” he assured the crowd, emphasizing that the counting process would be swift.
He stated that his strategy is to gather individuals and commence the ballot counting process at 2 PM, estimating it to take approximately five hours. By adhering to this timeline, they would be able to conclude the task before the polls close. The key lies in ensuring a sufficient number of people are available for the job.
Paces’ next move remains uncertain, but he assured Votebeat that he is determined to implement this change, regardless of any negative impact it may have on the county. He dismisses the claim that hand counting would be more expensive and time-consuming, with lower confidence in the final outcomes, despite lacking any evidence to support his stance. He proudly states that he has successfully recruited hundreds of volunteers in Kerr who are willing to participate in the hand counting process.
Paces expressed that an increasing number of individuals are reaching out to him, expressing their apologies that the previous attempt did not succeed. However, they are now willing to manually count and request to be included in the task. Moreover, Paces noticed a growing trend resembling a civic pride movement, which he finds highly commendable.
Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with The Texas Tribune. Contact Natalia at [email protected]