ACQUISITION OF EQUIPMENT BY POLITICAL PARTY FOR PRIMARY

(a) A political party's county executive committee that desires to use a voting system for a primary election must acquire the equipment necessary for operating the voting system as provided by this section. (b) The county executive committee may contract to lease the equipment from the county. If the equipment desired is not available from the county, the county executive committee may contract to lease it from any other source. (c) If the county executive committee desires to lease equipment owned by the county served by the committee, the county shall lease the equipment to the committee under the terms agreed to by the parties, except that the county's duty to lease the equipment is subject to reasonable restrictions and conditions imposed by the commissioners court to: (1) ensure availability of the equipment in elections for which the commissioners court adopted the voting system; and (2) protect the equipment from misuse or damage. (d) A county is not required to provide a political party's county executive committee with equipment for use in an election precinct in which fewer than 100 votes were cast in the political party's most recent general or runoff primary. (e) The maximum amount that may be charged for leasing equipment to a county executive committee for a general or runoff primary is: (1) $5 for each unit of electronic voting system equipment installed at a polling place; and (2) $5 for each unit of other equipment not specified by this subsection. (f) In addition to the amount a county may charge for leasing its equipment under Subsection (e), a county may charge a county executive committee for the actual expenses incurred by the county in: (1) transporting the equipment to and from the polling places; (2) preparing the equipment for use in the primary election; and (3) operating a central counting station for the primary election.