Where do old voting machines go to die? (+ a Texas coronavirus update)

Where do old voting machines go to die? Turns out, many are being resurrected in Texas. Harris County, for example, is now planning to purchase 2,000 used eSlate machines that Travis County just retired. Harris County told the Jasons that it’s worth the money for extra voting booths before potentially long lines in November like many voters experienced on Super Tuesday. The 2,000 used machines would be in addition to the 8,000 Harris County already has. But there’s another novel election-related idea under discussion in Texas. It’s something called Ranked Choice Voting. Other states already use it. At the polls, voters select their top two or three candidates and rank them in order of preference. The concept saves money and prevents voter fatigue by eliminating runoff elections. Perhaps no one welcomes it more than state Rep. Anna Eastman in Houston. She has gone through three elections in five months – and has two more to go by November. Eastman answered her phone when the Jasons surprised her with a phone call. But they begin this episode by calling health reporter and world traveler Sonia Azad for an update on the coronavirus in Texas and by laying out the economic and political implications already unfolding.