Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2021

CONTACT: press@secure-democracy.org

New Economic Analysis Finds Partisan Election Reviews Could Cost Texas Taxpayers $250 Million Per Investigation

Texas Should Reject Unnecessary, Costly Politically-Motivated Election Investigations

AUSTIN, TEXAS - Texas taxpayers could expect to shoulder an estimated cost of anywhere between $35 and $250 million per investigation should lawmakers pass new legislation that would allow for unnecessary partisan election reviews of the 2020 election and future elections, according to a new cost analysis conducted by Austin-based AngelouEconomics on behalf of Secure Democracy. 

“The 2020 election in Texas was smooth and secure, a testament to the professionalism of local election officials across the state,” said Sarah Walker, executive director of Secure Democracy. “We don’t need a costly relitigation of the 2020 elections or open up future elections to frivolous partisan investigations that would undermine voters’ trust in the democratic system and saddle Texas taxpayers with a multi-million dollar bill.”

AngelouEconomics’ cost analysis considered recent bills filed in the Texas House and Senate, S.B. 47 and H.B. 16, that would require or allow partisan election reviews for the 2020 election and future Texas elections. 

“Bills recently filed in the Texas Legislature that would expand partisan reviews to other elections would require significant expenses in staffing, equipment, and security. With costs as high as $250 million for a statewide investigation, partisan election reviews come at high costs both directly and indirectly to Texas taxpayers. This could result in a costly expenditure for taxpayers that would also erode their representation and voice in government,” said Angelos Angelou, CEO and Chief Strategist of AngelouEconomics. 

AngelouEconomics assessed the impact of the proposed legislation by examining the hard costs associated with personnel, equipment, safety and security, and location needed to conduct a review of an election in Texas. The study found:

  • In a statewide election review, depending on the type of review used, Texas taxpayers could be expected to see costs ranging between $35,000,000 and $250,000,000 per investigation.

  • In Texas’s 167 small counties, defined as having less than 20,000 registered voters, the estimated cost could range between $35,000 and $434,000, per investigation per election.

  • In Texas’s 60 medium sized counties, defined as having between 20,000 and 100,000 registered voters, the estimated cost could range from $138,000 to $828,000, per investigation per election.

  • In Texas’s 27 large counties, defined as having more than 100,000 registered voters, the estimated cost could range from $790,000 to $4.6 million, per investigation per election.

 A memo outlining the complete cost analysis is available here. 

 

As written, bills like S.B. 47 and H.B. 16, now pending in the third special legislative session, would allow certain partisan actors to question the verified results of an election and initiate a duplicative review of the election results. Legislation like S.B. 47/H.B. 16 would inject more partisanship and weaken voters’ trust in Texas elections, and has the potential to be far more costly for taxpayers than the recent politically motivated election investigation in Arizona. A full policy analysis of this legislation from Secure Democracy in the context of ongoing election subversion trends in other states is available here.


Additional Resources

What Texans and Others Are Saying

Read comments here from Republicans, conservatives, and local election officials reaffirming that the 2020 Election was fair and secure, raising concerns about election reviews. 

Voters Support Federal Action to Prevent Election Subversion

Last month, Secure Democracy and Protect Democracy released a new poll showing that Americans of all political affiliations support federal action to prevent election subversion measures. You can view the poll here.

Arizona Election Review Briefing

Secure Democracy recently held a briefing with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer (R) and former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) on how the Arizona election review influences election subversion efforts. You can view the briefing here.

Costs Associated With Other Partisan Election Reviews

Below are media reports detailing costs of similar partisan election reviews from other states:

Arizona

Pennsylvania

Wisconsin

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Secure Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to build confidence in our elections and improve voter access across the United States. We educate policymakers and the public about what it takes to safeguard our voting systems. We use sophisticated survey and messaging research to inform our strategy and we collaborate with state leaders, election administrators, policy  experts, and allies to ensure that all eligible citizens have the freedom to vote how they choose.