Voters Encouraged To Review Their Ballots Before Submitting On Hart eSlate Machines

According to officials, the Hart eSlate voting machine takes a few moments to populate a voter’s straight ticket answers; the machine may not have completed populating all of the ticket answers if the voter selects next “too quickly.”

Staff Reports

Around the state, there have been multiple reports that Texas voters, who were attempting to vote straight-ticket for either Republican or Democratic candidates have faced issues with certain voting machines.

Voters, who have used the Hart eSlate voting machines specifically, have reported issues with some candidates not being marked when they voted straight-ticket.

In some cases, voters complained that their vote for the U.S. Senate race was “de-selected.”

According to officials, the Hart eSlate voting machine takes a few moments to populate a voter’s straight ticket answers; the machine may not have completed populating all of the ticket answers if the voter selects next “too quickly.”

In most reported cases, voters resolved the issue by returning to the page and marking straight-ticket again. Hart eSlate Voting Machines are used in Hays and Travis County as well as several others.

Voters are encouraged to review their ballots and to follow these three steps before submitting their ballot.

• Read the instructions from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office on use of eSlate voting machines.
• Specifically, as directed by the Secretary of State, once you select the Republican party ticket, please be patient and do not select “next” until the ballot has populated all of the selections.
• Finally, double check your ballot before it is submitted to ensure that all the candidates you support are indeed selected on your ballot. 

If voters encounter difficulties or need help, poll workers are trained to handle machine irregularities and can provide help.