State Senate Unanimously Passes Kolkhorst’s Election Integrity Bill

The Texas Senate has unanimously passed SB 598 by Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) to require a voterverifiable paper audit trail for all elections systems. The bill also prohibits any voting system from being connected to the internet and includes a risk limiting audit to ensure the accuracy of voting systems.

“In 2005, I filed one of the first bills calling for a paper ballot trail to combat election fraud,” said Kolkhorst. “After many visits with so many concerned constituents and years of efforts I am glad to see this through. Elections are the bedrock of our republic and ensuring that our elections are conducted to the highest standards possible is a must.”

Texas is one of only three states that uses a non-paper trail system in some areas. SB 598 now heads to the Texas House and if signed into law, Texas will be considered to have one of the most accurate vote counting systems in the nation.

Upon passage of Kolkhorst’s SB 598, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R-Texas) released the following statement.

“At a time when the rhetoric around election security is being increasingly used in the media and corporate America to divide Texans and Americans, it is notable that Republicans and Democrats came together today in Texas to unanimously pass SB 598 designed to safeguard our elections. As I noted recently, over the past several years, both parties have expressed mistrust in the final outcome of elections. These bills will help us rebuild that trust.”