On Monday, June 23, the Collin County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the purchase of equipment necessary to implement hand-marked paper ballots for in-person voting, beginning with the November 2025 election.
This change reflects the Court’s ongoing commitment to transparency, security, and voter confidence in the election process. The Commissioners approved approximately $2.3 million in funding for equipment, including voting booths, printers, laptops, and other essential materials to support the transition.
To clarify, Collin County is not switching to hand-counting ballots. Every in-person vote will still be scanned and counted using the same DS200 ballot scanners at each polling location — just as before.
What’s new is how eligible voters will fill out their ballots. Instead of using a machine to mark their choices, voters will now mark their ballots by hand. Once completed, each ballot will be scanned and counted using the same tabulating process as before, ensuring the same level of accuracy.
“This is about restoring trust and strengthening the integrity of our elections,” said Collin County Judge Chris Hill. “Hand-marked paper ballots provide a voter-verifiable record while still benefiting from the accuracy and efficiency of machine tabulation.”
The county will maintain accessible ballot-marking devices for voters with disabilities, ensuring that all voters can cast a ballot privately and independently, as required by law.
“The Collin County Elections Department and its staff are fully committed to the successful implementation of the in-person ballot-on-demand (BOD) method of voting that was approved during Commissioners Court on Monday, June 23,” said Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux. “We look forward to educating the voters of Collin County on the details of this process so they can show up and vote with confidence during the November 2025 election.”
This decision follows a motion introduced earlier this month directing the Elections Office to develop a plan for implementing hand-marked ballots. That plan was presented and unanimously approved by the Court on June 23.
Collin County had over 750,000 registered voters in the November 2024 election and remains committed to maintaining secure, accessible, and efficient elections for all voters.
Timeline & Resources
In response to recent public questions and to ensure transparency, we've compiled all relevant materials in one place. Below is a timeline of key meetings and communications that explain how we arrived at the current decision. Please review the following resources to learn more:
Collin County Commissioner’s Court Meeting – August 19, 2024
Early discussions and stakeholder input.
Collin County Commissioner’s Court Meeting – June 9, 2025
Continued deliberation and updated recommendations.
Collin County Commissioner’s Court Meeting – June 23, 2025
Final decision and implementation steps.
