New voting machines allow Bexar County voters to cast ballot at any polling site

SAN ANTONIO – New voting machines will be unveiled Monday in Bexar County that will allow voters to cast their ballots at any polling site.

The ExpressVote system will be used for the first time in the county Monday when early voting begins for the Nov. 5 constitutional amendment special election. 

Voters are already able to vote at an early voting polling site, but will now be able to cast their ballots at any polling site on Election Day.

Related: What you need to know about the November ballot in San Antonio

Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said the machines are "fantastically secure. None of these units are connected to each other, connected to the internet. They completely stand alone at every one of our poll sites." 

The machines have electronic screens, but the votes are recorded on paper ballots rather than at individual voting booths. The ballots are then fed into another machine that will actually tabulate the votes.

Should something go wrong, the paper ballots are kept securely and can be used as a backup.