Galveston County Clerk Dwight Sullivan says no voting machine in the county connects to the internet, and every ballot cast on paper gets a backup.

Sullivan walked KPRC 2 through the county's election security protocols in a report published Monday, Oct. 19, the day early voting opened across Galveston County. Those safeguards cover all Galveston County voters, including residents of Clear Lake Shores and Nassau Bay.

Sullivan, who has held the clerk's office since 2011, said he has seen only two cases of someone attempting to vote twice in that span. One appeared to be an honest mistake. The other was flagged and prosecuted.

Bipartisan ballot boards and locked boxes

Mail-in ballot signatures are verified in a dedicated ballot board room. Sullivan said Democrats and Republicans sit together at each table to review discrepancies.

"There are two seats per table — because Democrats and Republicans both have to look at it," Sullivan told KPRC 2.

Physical ballots are stored in locked bags and boxes at every voting location. A sheriff's deputy holds one key and the election judge holds the other. Both keys are required to open any box.

Around-the-clock cameras

Cameras record at election headquarters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff and volunteers wear color-coded vests so livestream observers can identify who is in each room and what role they serve.

Background checks and air-gapped machines

Every person with access to the state voter database undergoes an FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC) background check, a fingerprint check and a local criminal history check, Sullivan said. Annual cybersecurity training is also required.

Sullivan stressed that voting machines are not connected to the internet. Paper ballots and electronic scanned copies are compared after the fact, and the county conducts random audits required by state law.

"We go a little bit further than that, just to assure the public everything is safe," Sullivan said.

Debunking a local rumor

Sullivan also addressed a rumor that generated about 30 calls to his office: the concern that initials found on a blank ballot could wipe out a voter's choices. Sullivan said that is false. Chapter 61 of the Texas Election Code requires the county clerk or presiding judge to initial each ballot to confirm it was blank and secure when issued.

Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30. According to Galveston County polling-place listings, Friendswood voters can cast ballots at First Baptist Church, 209 S. Friendswood Drive, or Village on the Park (Town Hall), 400 E. Parkwood Drive. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with extended 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. hours Saturday, Oct. 24, and Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30. Sunday, Oct. 25, hours are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day is Nov. 3.