Gillespie County GOP's Shocking Decision: Why Hand-Counting Primaries is Being Cut—You Won't Believe the Consequences!

In a significant shift for the 2026 primary elections, the Gillespie County Republican Party has decided to forego its original plan to hand-count all ballots during early voting due to a shortage of available workers. Party officials voted last week to utilize the county's electronic voting equipment to tally the thousands of ballots expected to be cast during the two-week early voting period leading up to Election Day on March 3. However, they have expressed their intention to still conduct a hand count of ballots cast on Election Day itself.

This decision has highlighted an ongoing rift within the county party, where some members advocate for a complete transition away from electronic voting equipment in favor of hand counting, while others maintain that the electronic systems are secure and incorporate necessary checks and balances. This internal division traces back to the 2024 primary elections when the county party first attempted to hand-count ballots.

In 2024, Gillespie County Republicans spent nearly 24 hours hand-counting over 8,000 ballots on Election Day, deploying more than 350 workers whom they had spent months training. Although this effort unveiled tallying errors in 12 out of the 13 precincts, Texas law does not mandate a post-election audit for hand-counted ballots, meaning these discrepancies were never formally assessed for accuracy. The financial implications of this hand-counting endeavor were substantial, costing over $40,000—more than five times the approximately $7,000 spent in 2020 when electronic machines were used. Fortunately for the party, these expenses are eventually reimbursed by the state.

Bruce Campbell, the chair of the Gillespie County Republican Party, expressed concern about not being fully informed regarding the recruitment of workers for the upcoming election. As of a recent party executive committee meeting in January, he learned that only about 60 individuals had signed up for a role that typically requires around 200 workers. Campbell defended the previous hand-counting effort, stating, “I just want the votes counted, and when it didn’t look like we were going to have enough people, I called a meeting and solved the problem.”

Worker Shortages and Internal Divisions

The worker shortages have raised alarms not only within the party but also among election officials. Jim Riley, the county's election administrator, reported to the Texas Secretary of State's Office that the local Republican Party had received “little or no response” in their recruitment efforts for hand counters. He noted that some precinct chairs had started to voice objections to the hand-counting process itself.

“I know this is a local problem and a Party problem. Yet, the splash back will hurt our elections in Gillespie,” Riley wrote, soliciting guidance on ensuring accurate vote counts.

Under Texas law, a bipartisan post-election audit is required for machine-counted ballots in a random selection of precincts. Gillespie Republicans, however, plan to voluntarily hand-count all ballots cast, regardless of whether they were initially counted by machine or by hand, a move that necessitates again recruiting a large pool of volunteers.

This year’s ballots have been redesigned to allow for scanning by tabulators if needed, which could facilitate verification of results without necessitating another full hand-count. The previous ballot design, which could only be counted manually, resulted in complications during the 2024 elections, as there was no method for independently verifying the outcome without another hand-count.

Riley's communication to state officials described a chaotic internal debate among the county GOP, with some leaders acknowledging the mounting challenges yet failing to reach consensus on how to proceed. The recent decision to count early voting ballots electronically passed with a 7-3 vote among party officials.

Despite the challenges, not all members of the party share Campbell’s concerns. David Treibs, a Republican precinct chair and a vocal opponent of electronic tabulation, downplayed the significance of the recruitment issues. He claimed, “Nobody’s gone to jail yet over this. I don’t think anybody’s going to sue either, unless they want to make an example out of this.” Treibs asserted that there was sufficient interest among workers to fill the necessary roles, even as recruitment efforts were reported to be lacking.

As the Gillespie County Republicans move forward with their election plans, the ramifications of these decisions could reverberate far beyond the local party, potentially impacting the integrity and accuracy of the electoral process in the region. With Texas law mandating that ballots be counted within 24 hours post-election, failure to meet this requirement could lead to misdemeanor charges for party officials or lead to lawsuits from candidates contesting the election results.

As Election Day approaches, the Gillespie County Republican Party remains in a precarious position, caught between internal divisions and the pressing need for accurate and timely ballot counts. The evolution of their voting process will be closely watched, as it reflects broader national conversations about election integrity and trust in democratic systems.

Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. She is based in Corpus Christi and can be reached at [email protected].