Poll books were displaying a repeated error message which required the devices to be restarted to continue checking voters in.

Electronic poll book devices were collected from some of the first polling locations that reported issues, and the device logs were sent to the vendor (ES&S) for further review. While ES&S analyzed the logs, the DCED team thoroughly reviewed all system data and configuration settings and confirmed that all voters in Dallas County were assigned to the correct precincts and ballot styles.

Around 3:00 p.m., DCED received a response from ES&S indicating they had identified the following problem:

"The issue was caused by the pollbook workflow not displaying an indication that the devices were processing information input by the poll workers. Repeat touches then caused the pollbooks to exhibit one of the three behaviors described above."

During a second conference call with ES&S at 4:30 p.m., the Dallas County Elections Department was presented with an option to push a configuration update to the poll books that would mitigate the issue. Per ES&S:

"The update allows the pollbooks to successfully display to the poll worker when the devices are processing information. The indication helps poll workers to avoid repeated touches and slowed performance."

DCED immediately prepared to deploy the configuration update once voting completed for the day. The update was successfully deployed to all the electronic poll book devices late Monday evening, ensuring that the issue was addressed before the start of the next day of voting. Updated procedural documentation for the poll workers was also prepared and delivered to every polling location on Tuesday morning.

DCED is aware that, due to this electronic poll book issue, voters experienced long wait times on the first day of Early Voting. Dallas County Elections Department sincerely apologizes to the voters affected, and thanks them for their patience throughout the process.

While we are aware that some of the devices printed the wrong ballot type, DCED wants to acknowledge our dedicated poll workers who identified the issue early on, reported it, and helped contain its impact throughout the day.

DCED remains dedicated to ensuring a fair, accessible, secure, and transparent election.