Collin County Commissioners have been told it will cost $2.27 million for implementing a switch to hand-marked paper ballots beginning with the Nov. 4 election.

Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux laid out an aggressive timeline at a Monday, June 23, meeting of the Collin County Commissioners Court. 

Breaux said the county has 60 to 90 days to procure equipment, revamp training programs and launch a public education campaign to comply with an executive order issued by President Trump in March. 

The order prohibits ballot tabulation systems from relying on barcodes or QR codes, rendering the county’s current system obsolete before the fall election.

“Our window is crucial,” Breaux said. “We’re starting training this summer, and I can’t stress enough how tight that window is.”

The change will shift the county away from electronic ballot-marking devices used for years and move voters back to filling in paper ballots by hand by coloring in ovals with a black ball-point pen.

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By Bob Wieland | [email protected]