Republican Precinct Chairs and Concerned Voters Working to Secure Our Elections
October 19, 2023 | Montgomery County, TX
Many Montgomery County Republican Party Precinct Chairs and concerned voters have spent two years investigating Montgomery County election procedures and equipment, revealing issues that pose a threat to the integrity of our elections. These Precinct Chairs and voters have collaborated to identify necessary changes to address vulnerabilities.
Their work has culminated in a petition that residents of Montgomery County can sign and share to tell the Montgomery County Commissioners that We the People want them to make our elections secure.
Background
Following the January 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol, the media began a blackout on information about any election “irregularity” investigations that pointed toward fraud. A lack of readily available information made it difficult for citizens to judge whether fraud was as likely as it had seemed during the 2020 Election and aftermath.
“After the 2020 Election, I realized that I had no idea how elections were run in Montgomery County,” explained Precinct 37 Chair Kristen Plaisance. “I started working with other concerned people in the county and even throughout the state. We began researching the laws surrounding elections, which are mostly the Texas Election Code and the Texas Administrative Code.”
“We started sending Public Information Act requests and reviewing expert reports and certification documents listed on the Secretary of State’s website and the website for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The EAC is the federal agency responsible for certifying the National Testing Labs that certify election equipment on a national scale. National certification of election systems used in Texas is required by Texas Administrative Code 81.60 & 81.61.”
The citizens’ Public Information Act requests covered all manner of election processes, such as maintenance of the registered voter lists, chain of custody of vote counting records, and functioning of the various kinds of electronic voting equipment used in Montgomery County.
“We also researched patents and operator manuals produced by the manufacturer of the equipment,” Plaisance continued. “By reading these laws and documents, we determined that the election equipment used in Montgomery County is not properly certified according to the laws, and has some serious vulnerability issues. The equipment is also not in compliance with Texas Election Code 122.001. A voting system cannot be used in the State of Texas if it is not in compliance with 122.001. The legislature put that law into place to ensure that voting systems in Texas are secure, so it is a big deal if that is not followed.”
Meanwhile, through smaller and local media outlets, and from election-focused investigative groups, reports of investigations around the nation (e.g., the “2000 Mules” documentary and Voter GA non-profit) added to general knowledge about the major weaknesses in our election systems and laws that bad actors can exploit.
Developing Strategies to Rectify Election Issues
“The research to understand all the ways our elections are being stolen is mind bending; however, I felt strongly we needed to right the course of our nation,” said Precinct 39 Chair Lauren Vickers.
“Once we acquired evidence our election equipment had not been properly certified according to the law, I helped file a pro se lawsuit against our County Commissioners and Election Administrator. In this lawsuit we only asked that our officials right the wrong that had been done in 2020. After speaking at many County Commissioners Court meetings and holding private meetings with our Elections Administrator, Suzie Harvey, we began to develop strategies on the issues we were discovering with our elections.
“So far we have been unsuccessful in acquiring the changes we think necessary to secure our elections. We, as citizens, would like to partner with our election officials to help rectify election issues across the state and specifically in Montgomery County.”
Election Security Petition
As a result of their investigations, the Republican Precinct Chairs and concerned citizens prepared a resolution to petition the Montgomery County Commissioners Court to make our elections secure before it is too late.
The petition asks the Montgomery County Commissioners to return to “the only legal and secure standard of conducting elections currently within the Texas Election Code by utilizing hand marked, counterfeit resistant, sequentially numbered, paper ballots; paper poll books printed 23 days before each election; in-precinct full hand counts of all races and measures on ballots; and rigorous county wide audit procedures to ensure the accuracy of all elections conducted in Montgomery County.”
If the County Commissioners refuse to adopt the above standards, the petition asks them to adopt at a minimum the following improvements:
No unreadable markings, such as QR Codes.
Properly certified voting machines.
No Bluetooth or Internet capabilities inside equipment.
Sort early voting ballots to make audits easier.
Publish voter rolls 23 days before elections.
Conduct hand count audits before certifying election.
Public access to ballot images within 7 days of election.
“Through this petition we are hoping to show the commitment of the citizens to ensure transparency, honesty and security in our elections,” said Vickers. “The petition now being circulated was created through the collaboration of numerous citizen investigators, who have extensive knowledge of our county’s specific challenges. The petition is supported by many concerned citizens and is not “owned” by any formal group.”
“Election Integrity is a bipartisan issue. We must continue to look for answers and hold our ‘leadership’ accountable,” Vickers said.
Montgomery County Republican Party Supports the Election Security Petition
At the October 3 County Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, the Montgomery County Republican Party voted to show support for election integrity in the county by affixing the Party’s signature on the Election Security Resolution Petition.
TAKE ACTION
Election fraud vitiates ALL and We the People must do our part to stop it from happening here in our county. Early voting for the 2024 Primary in Texas begins in February, so we must act now.
Please sign and share this petition to tell the Montgomery County Commissioners that We the People want them to make our elections secure.