Texas Republicans in 2 counties drop push to hand-count ballots

Texas Republicans in two counties have dropped proposals to hand-count ballots in their upcoming March primary elections, backing away from the effort after determining it would be too costly and difficult to carry out while meeting federal election requirements.

NBC News reported that the Dallas County Republican Party backed away from the proposal amid volunteer shortfalls and rising costs, while the Hays County Republican Party cited challenges related to federal voting requirements.

The Dallas County Republican Party and Hays County Republican Party did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

Allen West, the chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party, told NBC News the party aimed to recruit more than 3,000 volunteers to hand-count ballots but ended up with only about 1,300 to 1,500.

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West said the prospect of a long ballot compounded staffing worries and increased the risk of missing the state's 24-hour deadline for counting votes.

"It's a second-degree misdemeanor if you're not able to get those ballots counted on time and get them submitted, and we don't want to put people in that position," he told the outlet.

West said funding the proposal presented another challenge, noting that while roughly $500,000 had already been raised, party leaders believed more money would be needed.

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He added that contributors would be offered refunds and the party could consider the hand-counting ballots proposal again in 2028.

Hays County Republican officials said the effort was hindered by a lack of accessible voting machines at precincts and by delays in obtaining election data needed to organize and merge polling locations.

"Proceeding without these elements would have placed our party and voters at significant legal, financial, and operational risk, and could have undermined the very integrity we have been striving to defend," county party Chairwoman Michelle Lopez said in a Dec. 22 letter, according to NBC News.