REPORT: Texas AG Ken Paxton DEMANDS Release of Machine Audit Logs

According to a breaking new report, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton just took action to address growing worries about the adjudication of ‘blank ballots’ during the state’s elections.

What exactly does this mean?

Basically, a large number of ballots are designated as ‘blank’ by electronic voting systems and then adjudicated through software. It’s an incredibly sketchy, controversial process that could significantly change votes.

During the 2020 election in Broward Country, FL, up to 20% of ballots in some precincts were set as ‘blank’…

AG Ken Paxton has been made aware of this troubling election integrity issue and is now reportedly demanding the release of machine audit logs!

Check it out:

🔥Breaking! Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been made aware of the blank ballot adjudication issue and has recently issued a letter requiring the logs to be released in Texas.

For example, in Broward County, FL in 2020, upwards of 20% of ballots cast in some precincts were… pic.twitter.com/c2Gr8nN815

— Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁 (@pepesgrandma) January 15, 2024

BREAKING: Texas AG Ken Paxton has demanded the release of machine audit logs, aiming to address the growing concerns over the practice of designating a large number of ballots as ‘blank’ by electronic voting systems and subsequently adjudicating them via software—a process that…

— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) January 16, 2024

Up until now, obtaining election machine audit logs has proven difficult, with many jurisdictions resisting or outright refusing to release them.

In Florida, a so-called ‘election integrity bill’ was passed to prevent the state’s audit logs from getting opened up.

However, according to recent reports, AG Paxton is now requiring the release of all machine audit logs across Texas counties.

The Gateway Pundit provided a partial transcript of the letter sent to Jessica Morrison, Assistant County Attorney from Paxton’s office:

You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the Public Information Act (the “Act”) chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 23-091394 (Ref. No. 2023-1117-PIA).

The Williamson County Attorney’s Office (the “county attorney’s office”) received a request for specified equipment manuals, audit logs, and communications.

You claim the submitted information is excepted from disclosure under section 552.101 of the Government Code. Additionally, you state release of this information may implicate the proprietary interests of Election Systems & Software, LLC (ES&S”).

Accordingly, you state, and provide documentation showing, you notified these ES&S of the request for information and of its right to submit arguments to this office as to why the information at issue should not be released. See Gov’t Code § 552.305(d); see also Open Records Decision No. 542 (1990) (statutory predecessor to section 552.305 permits governmental body to rely on interested third party to raise and explain applicability of exception in the Act in certain circumstances). We have received comments from ES&S. We have considered the submitted arguments and reviewed the submitted representative sample of information.

We note the submitted information consists of manuals and documents relating to the use of electronic voting equipment provided to Williamson County by ES&S. We note the requestor has a right of access to this information pursuant to section 123.008 of the Election Code. Section 123.008 of the Election Code provides, in relevant part, as follows:

(a) Each person who sells, leases, or otherwise provides an electronic voting system or equipment to a political subdivision shall also provide any user or operator manuals or other instructions or documents relating to the use of the system or equipment. The general custodian of election records for the political subdivision shall make those materials available for public inspection in the custodian’s office on the request of any person.

ADVERTISEMENT

Elec. Code § 123.008(a): see id. §$ 1.005(13) (defining “political subdivision”) 121.003(1)-(2). (4) (defining “voting system.” “electronic voting system.” and “voting system equipment). Upon review, we find the requestor has a right of access to the submitted information pursuant to section 123.008 of the Election Code.

CDM originally reported on the story:

At CDM we have been cataloguing a rogues gallery of suspected election fraudsters, along with corroborating evidence across several states for months. The issue has centered mainly on the ‘blank ballot’ issue found throughout the nation in states which are allowing the alleged fraud by allowing machines to designate large percentages of ballots cast ‘blank’ and then adjudicating them by software. In short, a sophisticated way of ‘changing votes’. In Broward County, FL in 2020, upwards of 20% of ballots cast in some precincts were designated ‘blank’…

In the last several months, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was made aware of the issue and has recently issued a letter requiring the logs to be released in Texas.