BURLESON COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — Burleson County officials are worried about facing a second lawsuit, stemming from a previous lawsuit filed in 2022 by residents questioning the legality of the current voting system.
- The original lawsuit, filed in 2022, questioned the security of electronic voting and called for using hand-marked paper ballots and hand counts instead.
- Judge Keith Schroeder says the lawsuit filed in 2022 has affected "taxpayers," causing the county to hire lawyers and increase staffing for election operations.
- The group behind the original lawsuit says the claims are "misleading," saying the original case has been inactive for over a year.
- Schroeder says the county received an email from the group stating they would file again, but there have been no records of filing at the District Court.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"We're doing everything by state law, and so it's not fair to the taxpayers of Burleson County," County Judge Keith Schroeder said.
As early voting continues, Burleson County leaders are worried about facing a second lawsuit.
"We have attorneys on retainers specific to this lawsuit," he said.
Residents Michelle Mahfouz and Shannon Huggins filed the original lawsuit two years ago, back in 2022.
They questioned the security of electronic voting, wanting to use hand-marked paper ballots and hand-counts instead.
But they were not seeking damages in the suit.
"We already have that in place, but they're scannable, which allows us to have immediate results," Schroeder said.
That case was dismissed and is sitting at the Court of Appeals.
But Judge Schroeder said the lawsuit has been "burdensome" financially.
"We've had to hire more, you know, a larger staff in elections, partially because of the litigation we're in," he said.
However, the group released a statement saying those claims are "highly misleading" since the case has been inactive for over a year, asking the county to show billing records.
But Judge Schroeder is afraid the lawsuit if refiled and won, could create challenges for volunteers.
"I think it's unrealistic for a county our size with the workforce that we have to do that," he said.
And voters.
"I feel like those individuals, our citizens, should know what we're going through and what we're dealing with," he said.
