Austin, Texas Election officials in five large Texas counties are rushing to pay tens of thousands of dollars in additional fees levied by a California-based election services company in order to maintain a vital system that handles voter registration.
The runoff elections for the state's primary will take place next month.
Voter registration software is contracted out to VOTEC by numerous Texas counties; nevertheless, the corporation is now requesting higher payments from these jurisdictions. On Thursday, The Associated Press reached out to the San Diego firm for comment, but they did not respond.
According to Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization, VOTEC notified the counties last month of the "one-time" penalty, explaining that it was necessary due to certain counties falling behind in payments and further financial strain caused by issues with the company's payroll and health insurance supplier.
Harris County, which encompasses Houston and is the most populous in the state, received additional charges totaling $120,000, according to Daniel Ramos, executive director of the Office of Management and Budget in the county. According to Ramos, the county will be paying for it soon as the program is crucial to its operations.
The suburbs of Dallas are located in Collin County, which reported a $42,341 charge.
The Texas Secretary of State's office issued a statement stating that it was consulting with the impacted counties and providing them with guidance.
If you believe Votebeat, 32 of Texas's counties use this company's voter registration software, and it's one of just three in the state with this authorization. Votebeat said that the company has not imposed surcharges in Nevada and Illinois, two other states where it offers the software.
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