**Independence County budgeted over $183,000 for election operations in 2026. As of February, only 1.12% had been spent. The voter-approved paper ballot ordinance was never implemented.**
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On November 5, 2024, Independence County voters approved Ordinance 2024-18 establishing hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots by a margin of 61.6% (8,309 votes). Thirteen months later, on December 11, 2025, the Quorum Court voted 9-0 to repeal it. In the time between approval and repeal, how much did the county spend preparing to implement what voters had demanded?
The answer, according to the county’s own budget documents: **$2,057 out of $183,250 allocated.** That is 1.12%.
## The Numbers
The Independence County Budget Detail Report for the Election Commission (Department 0109), generated February 3, 2026, shows:
| Category | Original Budget | YTD Expenditures | % Used |
|———-|—————-|——————-|——–|
| Personal Services (part-time salaries, SS match, workers comp) | $117,650.00 | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Supplies (office supplies, small equipment, snacks/food) | $16,200.00 | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Other Services & Charges (professional services, postage, travel, software, etc.) | $49,400.00 | $2,057.00 | 4.16% |
| **Department Total** | **$183,250.00** | **$2,057.00** | **1.12%** |
The $2,057 in expenditures came entirely from the “Other Professional Services” line item, which had a budget of $32,943 (originally budgeted at $32,943, with $2,057 spent representing 5.88% of that single line).
Zero dollars were spent on part-time salaries. Zero on supplies. Zero on equipment. Zero on travel or training.
## What This Means
Implementing a paper ballot system would require substantial preparation: hiring and training temporary workers to hand-count ballots, purchasing supplies, potentially reconfiguring polling locations, and developing new procedures. The $183,250 budget suggests the county understood this.
Yet the spending pattern shows no evidence that any implementation work occurred. Not a single dollar was spent on the personnel who would be needed to count paper ballots. Not a single dollar on the supplies required.
The only expenditure ($2,057 for “Other Professional Services”) could represent almost anything: legal consultation, an outside vendor review, or routine election administration costs unrelated to paper ballots.
## Context: The Election Commission Minutes
This spending freeze does not exist in a vacuum. As IndependenceWatch previously reported (see: “EC Precinct Consolidation”), Election Commission minutes obtained via FOIA show no discussion of paper ballot implementation planning during the period the ordinance was in effect. An election readiness presentation reviewed by IndependenceWatch made no mention of paper ballots.
The county was treating the voter-approved ordinance as if it did not exist, long before the Quorum Court formally repealed it.
## A Fair Question
It is possible that the low spending reflects normal budget timing. Election expenditures may be heavily back-loaded, with most spending occurring closer to election dates. Without comparison data from prior years showing typical drawdown rates for the Election Commission budget, we cannot say definitively that this spending pattern is abnormal.
However, the complete absence of any personnel spending (the largest budget category at $117,650) is difficult to explain as mere timing. If the county intended to implement paper ballots for upcoming elections, some preparation would be expected: recruiting, training, or at minimum, planning.
The simpler explanation: the county never intended to implement the ordinance that 8,309 voters approved.
## The Bigger Picture
Consider the timeline:
– **November 5, 2024:** Voters approve paper ballots, 61.6%
– **2024-2025:** County attorney Daniel Haney litigates *Evans v. Harrison* in the Supreme Court, seeking to invalidate paper ballot laws
– **October 14, 2024:** Haney tells the Quorum Court “we’re hoping that it’s reversed” (see: “Your County Attorney on the Record”)
– **Throughout 2025:** Election Commission makes no paper ballot preparations; $2,057 of $183,250 spent
– **December 11, 2025:** Quorum Court repeals the ordinance 9-0 via emergency clause
The budget data is one more data point in a consistent pattern: county officials opposed the paper ballot ordinance before it passed, took no meaningful steps to implement it after it passed, and repealed it at the first opportunity.
## What We Still Need to Know
1. **What was the $2,057 spent on?** A detailed accounting of the “Other Professional Services” expenditure would clarify whether any of it was related to paper ballot implementation.
2. **What do prior years look like?** Budget drawdown rates for the Election Commission in 2023 and 2024 would establish whether 1.12% spending through February is typical or anomalous.
3. **Were any implementation plans drafted?** Even preliminary planning documents, RFPs, or internal memos about paper ballot logistics would indicate good-faith effort. None have surfaced.
4. **Who made the decision not to spend?** Budget authority in Independence County flows through the County Judge. Did Judge Kevin Jeffery direct that paper ballot funds not be spent, or did the Election Commission independently decline to act?
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*Sources: Independence County Budget Detail Report, Department 0109 (Independence County Election Commission), generated February 3, 2026; Independence County Election Results, November 5, 2024; Ordinance 2024-18 (paper ballot ordinance); Ordinance 2025-27 (repeal ordinance); Election Commission minutes obtained via FOIA.*