Texas County Adopts Cloud Video for Election Transparency

    July 29, 2025
    Milestone’s XProtect video management software, deployed on AWS, enables real-time monitoring of ballot handling and supports long-term video storage to meet election transparency requirements.
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    A growing number of local governments are turning to cloud-based video systems to enhance transparency, improve operational efficiency, and meet evolving compliance requirements for public services like elections.
    A growing number of local governments are turning to cloud-based video systems to enhance transparency, improve operational efficiency, and meet evolving compliance requirements for public services like elections.

    When new legislation in Texas mandated real-time public access to ballot handling along with nearly two years of video storage, one county faced a tough balancing act: meet the legal requirements without overwhelming its IT infrastructure or budget.

    The county’s initial solution — requiring constituents to submit formal requests and view footage in person — proved too slow, expensive, and cumbersome. Seeking a better alternative ahead of the 2024 presidential election, officials partnered with systems integrator Sology Solutions to implement a cloud-based video surveillance system built for accessibility, security, and cost-efficiency.

    Despite early skepticism from county leaders about cloud reliability and bandwidth requirements, the project moved forward on a tight deadline. Sology had only days between receiving the purchase order and deploying a functional system before voting began.

    Cloud-Based Design for Compliance and Accessibility

    Working with Milestone Systems, Sology designed a solution using Milestone’s XProtect video management software running on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure. The system incorporated Surveillance Bridge from Tiger Surveillance to facilitate the VMS-to-cloud connection, along with numerous Axis Communications IP cameras — half of which were configured to live stream ballot-handling areas directly to the county’s YouTube channel.

    The cloud-based approach addressed both transparency and compliance. Citizens could now watch ballot activity online in real time, eliminating the need for formal viewing requests and in-person visits. Video footage was automatically archived in AWS’s cost-effective S3 storage to satisfy the 22-month retention mandate, with SD cards in the cameras offering local backup in case of network outages.

    “It feels like it's too good to be true, honestly. The flexibility and resiliency we get with AWS is remarkable,” states Jason Rice, sales engineer and AWS Alliance Lead, Sology Solutions. “The AWS platform is so reliable, we are confident the election managers will always have access to that video.”

    Streamlined Operations and Growing Cloud Confidence

    By moving away from on-premise infrastructure, the county also avoided the costs and complexity of maintaining physical servers. Election officials can now activate the entire system in seconds when a new voting cycle begins — reducing operational burden and accelerating deployment timelines.

    According to Sology, the project has already begun to shift perceptions about cloud technology in a government environment historically wary of it. The successful use of cloud infrastructure in a high-stakes setting like elections has sparked interest in applying similar strategies in other departments.

    The deployment underscores how integrators and technology partners can help public-sector clients overcome budget and bandwidth concerns while meeting modern transparency expectations. Through its collaboration with Milestone Systems and AWS, Sology helped deliver a secure, scalable, and user-friendly solution — giving both county officials and voters more confidence in the integrity of the election process.

    “This is a perfect example of how flexible, cloud-based security can solve real-world challenges without requiring massive infrastructure investments or complex maintenance,” comments Matt Fishback, Global Alliances Manager for Milestone Systems. “This is also what Responsible Technology is about — using innovation to create safety and transparency.”