Texas Republican group sues to block certification of state's midterm election

The Potter County Republican Party and its chairman, Daniel Rogers, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday asking a federal judge to stop Texas from certifying the results of next Tuesday's midterm elections.

The filing, submitted days before voting closes, seeks a hand count of every ballot in every precinct across the state before certification takes place. The plaintiffs allege that voting machines contain components made in China that could be used to manipulate results, and they warn of potential interference by artificial intelligence or "malicious actors".

What the lawsuit claims

The suit argues that tampering during manufacturing could give hackers a way into election equipment and enable coordinated attacks across machines and jurisdictions. It says the possibility of undetected manipulation by recently developed AI programmes means Texas's existing safeguards can be easily bypassed.

The complaint does not state that any voting machine in Potter County or elsewhere in Texas has actually been compromised. The plaintiffs also acknowledge in the filing that no previous election in the county was altered by a third party. They argue the risk of future interference is enough to require full verification.

The lawsuit further claims that US adversaries including China, Iran and Russia are capable of accessing election systems.

Texas law and the Senate race

Texas law already requires hand-count audits in elections where electronic tabulators are used. The plaintiffs contend that is not sufficient, saying a paper record only provides independent verification if officials compare a complete hand count of all ballots.

The legal challenge comes as several polls show Democrat James Talarico narrowly leading Republican Ken Paxton in Texas's Senate race, a contest that could decide which party controls the chamber after November 3.

The Talarico and Paxton campaigns and the Potter County Republican Party did not immediately respond to requests from Al Jazeera for comment.

Wider election disputes

In July, US President Donald Trump declassified documents that he said showed Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election, reviving his criticism of that vote despite there being no evidence Beijing affected the outcome he lost.

Last week, the US Department of Justice also sought to block certification of an election, arguing in Alaska that an independent candidate sharing the name of the state's Republican senator up for re-election was running to mislead voters.

Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Texas Secretary of State, whose office administers elections in the state, said it does not plan to comment on the lawsuit at this time.

Source: Al Jazeera.