Electronic Information Storage Mediums and Voting System Security

offense if the judge fails to prevent a person from handling a ballot box containing marked ballots or provisional ballots in an unauthorized manner.32

Voting stations must be arranged in a manner that ensures the voting area is in view of the election officers, poll watchers, and persons waiting to cast a ballot but that is separated from the persons who are waiting to vote.33 When setting up the voting station, an election officer shall open and examine the ballot boxes and remove any contents from the boxes.34 The ballot box to be used by the voters to deposit marked ballots must be locked. The ballot box35 and the box used for the deposit of provisional ballots must be placed where they will be in plain view of the election officers, watchers, and persons waiting to vote.36

The county’s general custodian of election records is tasked with generating and maintaining plans and procedures to ensure the security of voting systems and electronic media. The general custodian of election records must:

• Create and maintain an inventory of all electronic information storage media;

• Develop a procedure for tracking the custody of each electronic information storage medium from its storage location, through election coding and the election process, to its final post-election disposition and return to storage. This procedure requires at least two individuals to perform a check and verification check whenever a transfer of custody of an electronic information storage medium occurs;

• Establish a secured location for storing electronic information storage media when not in use and for storing voting system equipment after election parameters are loaded;

32 Tex. Elec. Code § 61.005. 33 Tex. Elec. Code § 62.004. 34 Tex. Elec. Code § 62.005. 35 A ballot box must be made of a sturdy material, suitably designed for its intended use, and have a lock and key. Tex. Elec. Code § 51.034. 36 Tex. Elec. Code § 62.006.