In its first meeting of the new year, the Potter County Commissioners’ Court unanimously approved two measures to bring its elections processes into compliance with Senate Bill 1 aimed at public confidence in election integrity.

The first measure the court approved on Monday was to accept reimbursement funding from the state for converting its voting system to one that gives the voter a printout of their ballot once they have made selections on a screen. The printed ballot is then inserted into a ballot box. Previously, voters would only have onscreen prompts instructing them to ensure their ballot was accurate.

Due to time constraints, the new process will not take effect for the upcoming primaries, but will be completed by June. Election officials throughout the state have until 2026 to come into compliance with SB1.

Melynn Huntley, Potter County elections administrator, stated that while the county’s election process has been accurate, this new measure has been implemented to give voters greater confidence in election integrity.

“This new process will have auditors matching the numbers from the voting machines and the paper ballots that are printed out and will be available if needs for audits arise," Huntley said. “With concerns about accuracy, the Legislature voted for these changes in an effort to improve voter confidence.”

With the new system, voters will still get onscreen prompts and physically see a printout of their ballot, which will be available for review before dropping it into a secure ballot box.

Another measure that is being implemented is the addition of 24-hour livestream cameras that will allow citizens to view the election process in real-time during Potter County elections. All streams will be recorded and kept until the end of the year, or longer in the event of any legal challenges to election results.

Funds for this livestream will come from grants from the Help America Vote Act that was enacted in 2002. The new camera system and its components are estimated to cost $17,932.

Huntley also wanted to remind voters that early voting starts on Feb.14 and runs through Feb 25.

“I want to encourage people to prepare and plan to vote early for convenience,” she said.

In other election-related resolutions, the court signed off on an already-approved Democratic and Republican joint primaries for the upcoming elections.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Potter County Commissioners' Court approves changes for election integrity