Why Lubbock County’s elections chief wants to avoid a 2028 voting machine switch

Lubbock County could replace its aging voting machines in 2027 or wait until 2029. Elections Administrator Troy Havard told Lubbock Lights he would avoid introducing new machines in 2028 because voters and poll workers would be using them for the first time in a presidential election year. “You do not want to go into a presidential cycle, whether it’s the primaries or the presidential race itself, using that system for the first time,” Havard said. Havard will brief commissioners on the equipment options Monday. The only action he’s asking them to take is to canvass the Nov. 3 election results. Havard said commissioners would have to find the money to buy in 2027 or plan ahead for a 2029 purchase. He’ll brief them on Hart InterCivic’s Vanguard system, which meets the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s newer voting system standards. The county lists two quotes from Hart InterCivic, its current vendor. One is labeled as an option without Hart’s Vault scanner, a device that