Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved a $4 million state grant application to improve the administration of federal elections by funding new equipment designed to speed up voting and ballot tabulation.
The funding, offered by the Texas Secretary of State’s office under the Help America Vote Act, will support election technology intended to streamline the voting process for voters and election workers.
County Elections Administrator Michele Carew told commissioners that her office will use more than half of the funding to purchase new ballot tabulation equipment for election headquarters. She said the county will also buy new election machines on wheels that workers can use to assist curbside voters.
“As you know, our equipment is not light,” Carew told commissioners. “So, this particular machine has been created to where they can just roll it out to each particular voter. It has telescopic capabilities to have it go up and down for larger vehicles and side to side. And it also gives them additional privacy they’ve been requesting when they vote curbside.”
The county will also use the funding to acquire 350 new poll pads, allowing election workers to process more voter IDs and corresponding ballots at the same time.
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert supported the measure, citing the importance of efficient voting.
“We all know that the speed at which people can vote is an important consideration,” Calvert said. “So important, that often studies have indicated that if a voter has to wait, it actually discourages them from voting. It is a form of voter suppression.”
Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody questioned the need for additional voting equipment, referencing purchases made in 2025. Although he supported seeking the grant, Moody requested a one-on-one meeting with Carew to review the department’s equipment needs.