As the elections draw closer, discussions about election security and the integrity of the process are a hot topic.
Tarrant County Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons hosted a town hall meeting at the Arlington sub-courthouse to address questions and concerns about polling site protection measures on Oct. 17.
Election Administrator Clint Ludwig, who became the election administrator in August 2023, presented an election guide and answered attendees’ questions. He said that Tarrant County has surpassed the 1.3 million registered voter’s mark.
He also urged voters to be careful of misinformation and disinformation and emphasized the importance of verifying any election news by checking the official Tarrant County website.
“I get a lot of briefs from a lot of intelligence organizations across the United States,” Ludwig said. “Elections are a very, very big concern right now. The biggest concern is misinformation and disinformation and artificial intelligence and the ability to generate this false information.”
During the presentation he went over how to register, deadlines, the requirements and guidelines for absentee ballots. He also gave the dates and timings for the 51 early polling sites in Tarrant County and Election Day logistics of the 349 polling locations.
Ludwig said that as a Marine, he accompanied the casket of a fallen soldier and presented the flag to the spouse, an experience he explained reminded him of the privilege of voting.
“I’ve said to the spouse of this individual and thanked them, on behalf of the President of United States, of the Commonwealth of the Marine Corps, for their sacrifice so our rights, our freedoms, our liberties, they have a very significant meaning to me, Ludwig said.”
A press release issued by the commissioner’s office listed increased training for election officials and a new e-pollbook system as methods the county planned to use to bolster election access and security.
It also claimed a cybersecurity and physical security assessment of the election offices had been conducted.
Notably absent from the meeting was the Tarrant County Elections Integrity Task Force that was put together by Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, Sheriff Bill Waybourn and District Attorney Phil Sorrells.
“I absolutely invited the Election Integrity Task Force team to come and join our elections administrator to present tonight,” Simmons said. “They refused.”
Simmons said that the leader of the election integrity unit told her that she was told to decline.
Tarrant County Election Judge Assistant Sabrina Mitchell said content on social media and in the news about upcoming voting is making people uneasy.
“But there’s no threats here in Tarrant County,” Mitchell said. “I feel like there’s nothing to be worried about now.”
Ludwing mentioned the implementation of numbered ballots to minimize concerns about voter fraud. However, several attending community members protested, claiming the serialized addition was a costly repeat of safety measures already in place.
Gwen Johnson, an election judge for 40 years, said any remaining blank ballots can be reused for future voting. Extra numbered ballots have to be disposed of and replaced.
“It’s costing us money to number those ballots like that,” she said. “In any given election where you have 60 people vote, you open 200 ballots. The rest of them are just sitting up there blank. You only use 60 out of that 200.”
