Hill County Primary: What Led to a Hand Count

In Hill County, election results typically take only a few hours. However, during the 2026 Primary Election, it took more than 24 hours following the close of polls for unofficial results to be confirmed.

We reached out to Ryleigh Keeler, Hill County Election Deputy, to find out what happened and why the results were not available sooner.

Keeler said the day began like a typical election day. Absentee ballots were either mailed in advance or delivered directly by absentee voters to the Hill County Courthouse. Ballots from polling locations were transported by each precinct’s chief election jud...