Incumbent Webb County Sheriff attacks integrity of E&S voting machines in his recount loss

After the primary election, Martin Cuellar beat incumbent Rick Flores by 37 votes. After the first recount, Flores beat Cuellar by 133 votes, a 170 vote swing. After the second recount, Cuellar came out on top by 39 votes. The second recount was monitored by the court and allowed poll watchers to actually watch. E&S software is blamed for difference in election day results versus second recount results.

[Webb County Elections Administrator Oscar Villarreal] said electronic voting machines use what is called a Personal Electronic Ballot (PEB), which is a cartridge that stores vote information. The PEB is inserted in a computer that tallies the votes.

"That (information) is downloaded into the computer, and the computer includes it into the totals," he said. "On a recount, you can't print ballot images from the PEB; you have to actually insert a flashcard."

He said Precinct 231 illustrated the problem.

"In 231, it was reported that 72 people voted (electronically) … on election night through the PEB," he said. "When ballot images were shown from the flashcards, it was only showing 43."

That seems like a large software problem to me. In the recount of the electronic voting machines the discrepancies were almost evenly split between the two candidates with Flores actually gaining one vote.

There were discrepancies election night with double counting of some ballots boxes and then a correction.

The first recount smells like a large farting elephant in the room. Cuellar's attorneys called for an investigation and the Webb County Democratic party chair, Sergio Mora, agreed.

See previous posts.