WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — A malfunctioning voting machine could change the result of a close election in the Austin area.
Earlier this month, voters elected Democrat Stacy Hackenberg as the Williamson County justice of the peace in the Precinct 4 race. She had just 57 more votes than her opponent, Republican incumbent Judy Hobbs, according to KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman.
However, a machine stopped working during early voting, and 114 votes weren't counted. Those ballots have now been recovered, Williamson County said.
There are no laws allowing votes be recounted if a machine breaks. Williamson County Elections Administrator Chris Davis filed a petition on Thursday to get those votes counted, the Statesman said.
A judge ordered the 114 votes be recounted and added to the final election night results.
The Williamson County Commissioners Court will canvas the election returns on Wednesday, Nov. 20 during their meeting at 9:30 a.m.
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