Jim Wells County Tests Voting Equipment Ahead of Premont Municipal Election

Two days before Premont residents head to the polls on May 2, the Jim Wells County Elections Office completed the procedural groundwork that Texas law requires before any ballot is cast: a public Logic and Accuracy test of the county's voting equipment, conducted March 25 at the Jim Wells County Courthouse in Alice.

The test, held at 200 N Almond, Suite 107, verified that the machines slated to count votes in the City of Premont's municipal election will perform exactly as intended. The Jim Wells County Elections Office, reachable at (361) 668-5711, administers elections for the county's roughly 25,688 registered voters. Elections Administrator Richard Guerra oversees the process and serves as the county's point of contact for election administration questions, reachable at richard.guerra@co.jim-wells.tx.us.

During the L&A test, officials scanned test ballots and tabulated the results to confirm the central count was operating properly. Accessible voting equipment for residents with disabilities was also put through its paces to ensure vote totals were recorded correctly, a standard step the county performs ahead of every election cycle.

Texas law sets strict parameters around how and when the test must happen. Under Sec. 129.023 of the Texas Election Code, the general custodian of election records must conduct the L&A test before voting begins and no later than 48 hours before the equipment is used to count ballots. The county is also required to demonstrate, using a representative sample of the voting system, that the source code of the equipment has not been altered since it was last certified. Public notice of the test must be posted on the county's website or on the commissioners court bulletin board at least 48 hours in advance under Sec. 127.093, and the first test must remain open to the public under Sec. 127.096(b).

Beyond the L&A test itself, the tabulation supervisor and central counting station manager are required under Chapter 127, Subchapter D to run the central accumulator system through three separate tests: the first at least 48 hours before the tabulating equipment counts any election ballots, the second immediately before counting begins on election night, and the third immediately after the final count is completed.

May 2 is Texas's uniform municipal election day, the date used statewide for city and local contests. Premont is a city in Jim Wells County with approximately 2,455 residents as of the 2020 census. Early voting for the May 2 election opened April 20 and ran through April 28.

Anyone with questions about the Premont election or the equipment testing process can contact the Jim Wells County Elections Office at (361) 668-5711 or by email at richard.guerra@co.jim-wells.tx.us. The office is located at 200 N Almond St, Suite 104, Alice, Texas 78332.