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Gillespie County Elections Administrator Jim Riley speaks in the hallway of the Elections Office in Fredericksburg in the early morning of Mar. 6, 2024.
2024 Texas Elections

Republicans in a Texas county ditched technology and counted votes by hand. Here’s what happened.

The Texas Secretary of State and other election experts warned Gillespie County Republicans the process would be expensive, time-consuming and less reliable.

By Natalia Contreras, Votebeat and The Texas Tribune, and Jessica Huseman, Votebeat

Ballots are counted by hand on top of wine barrels at The Edge in Fredericksburg on Mar. 5, 2024. Poll workers have been hand counting early voting ballots since 7 a.m.
First: A van that reads 'Trump Promises Kept' sits off Main St. in Fredericksburg. Last: Campaign signs sit outside of a shop.
Election workers hand count ballots inside of The Edge in Fredericksburg on Mar. 5, 2024. Early voting ballots for the Republican primaries were counted here on Election Day.
Ballots from the Republican primary election hand count were moved from inside of a vehicle onto a rolling rack to be transported insode of the Elections Office of Gillespie County in Fredericksburg on the morning of Mar. 6, 2023.
First: An election worker from Precinct 3 brings materials into the Elections Office on Tuesday. Last: A trail of light is left behind after a car leaves the parking lot of the Elections Office early Wednesday morning.
Ballots are counted by hand on top of wine barrels at The Edge in Fredericksburg on Mar. 5, 2024. Election workers had been counting ballots since 7 a.m.

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Politics State government 2024 elections