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Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved a $4 million state grant application to improve the administration of federal elections.
The funding offered by the Texas Secretary of State's office under the Help America Vote Act will go towards election technology that speeds up the voting process for voters and speeds up the ballot tabulation by election workers.
County Elections Administrator Michele Carew told commissioners her office will use more than half the funding to buy new ballot tabulation equipment for election headquarters.
She also said money will be spent on new election machines on wheels that election workers can use to assist curbside voters.
"As you know, our equipment is not light," she 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 funding will also be spent on 350 new poll pads, so election workers can simultaneously process more voters IDS and their corresponding ballots—reducing voter wait times.
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert praised the action to speed voters through polling sites.
"We all know that the speed at which people can vote is an important consideration," he 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 more voting equipment—citing equipment purchases made in 2025.
While he supported the grant-seeking, Moody requested a one-on-one sit-down meeting with Carew to better understand her department's voting equipment needs.
