Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare is putting election security at the center of his reelection campaign, highlighting the county’s adoption of numbered paper ballots, tighter chain-of-custody procedures, and public access to ballot images during his first term.

Election Integrity Efforts

O’Hare’s campaign website credits him with championing these changes, which also include the elimination of internet-based results transmission and enhanced training for election judges and clerks. In October 2024, O’Hare published a 16-point list of county election changes, including expanded video surveillance of ballot storage and physical and cybersecurity assessments of election offices.

The county elections website allows members of the public to search cast ballot images and Cast Vote Records, starting with the March 2024 primary. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office handles election-related complaints.

Task Force and Criticisms

The Election Integrity Task Force, established by O’Hare, has drawn questions about its investigations. By June 2024, the task force had received or investigated 82 complaints, but none had led to charges or prosecutions. O’Hare’s opponent, Alisa Simmons, has criticized the task force as unnecessary and questioned its output.

Simmons has also made election integrity part of her campaign, proposing an Election Integrity Officer to investigate voter fraud if elected. O’Hare has emphasized the importance of election security, citing a case where a Mexican national residing illegally in the United States was charged with identity theft, voter fraud, and passport fraud for casting a ballot in Tarrant County.

Original reporting: WBAP News/Talk (Dallas-Fort Worth) — read the source article.