TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare promises voters increased security and transparency for the Nov. 5 election.
O'Hare released what he calls changes in the election process. But political reporter Bud Kennedy calls the list no surprise.
"Tim O'Hare put out a list of stuff that really didn't surprise people very much and isn't really a big shock," Kennedy said. "Judge O'Hare and the two party chairs want to make sure that people trust the election and believe in the election."
Among O'Hare's list of more than a dozen items are enhanced training for poll workers, more live-stream surveillance cameras, and Election night results will be transmitted in-person rather than on the Internet.
O'Hare's Communications and Policy Director Ruth Ray emailed WFAA information to clarify what will happen when the polls close on Nov. 5.
Her email stated that the term 'in-person transmission' is referring to the tallies on the V-Drives (thumb drives) containing the election results from each polling place. These will be transported in-person by an election staff member, along with FWPD to the elections office rather than transmitted via the internet.
"This is going to push them back and make them a little slower," Kennedy said.
"I am confident, 99% confidence that our elections are secure," Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons said.
Simmons will host a town hall meeting to help educate the public on the election process.
"At 7 p.m., all of the results for early voting in person by mail and so forth, those will be released at 7 p.m. and then there will not be a release at 8 p.m.," Simmons said. "The next release will be at 9 p.m. and on the hour, every hour."
As Tarrant County takes increased measures for transparency on Election Day, there are already several voting laws to ensure the integrity of the election process in the state. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson posted online that there is no evidence that any votes or voter registrations in Texas were compromised before the 2016 election or in any after.