A new Republican-backed bill would authorize the Texas Secretary of State to rerun elections in the state’s most populous county if a ballot paper shortage occurs.
The one-page legislation cleared the Texas Senate on Monday in a strictly party-line vote of 19–12. It would give the Secretary of State, a position appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, the authority to order a new election in counties wherein 2 percent or more of the polling places ran out of ballots for more than an hour after calling for a restock.
