Texas elections secure despite COVID-related “irregularities” in 2020, audit finds

Secetary of State John Scott watches voting machines undergo a state-mandated test at the Hays County government building in San Marcos on Sept. 21. Scott, the state’s chief election official, released a 359-page audit Monday of the 2020 elections in Texas. (Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune)

Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was neither widespread voter fraud nor other serious issues in Texas’ 2020 elections, according to an audit of four of Texas’ largest counties released Monday evening by Secretary of State John Scott’s office.

While the 359-page report did find some “irregularities,” it nonetheless reinforced what election experts and monitors — including Scott, the state’s chief election official — have routinely said: that the 2020 contest was not riddled with widespread fraud, and Texans should be confident that future elections will be similarly secure.