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Texas County Election Administration

County election administrators, EVBB procedures, and election worker appointments.

Voting Systems County Admin Legislators
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254 counties in Texas — each elects/appoints local election officials.

Counties may establish Elections Administrator (EA) or default to County Clerk as election officer.

Election Officer Types

1. County Elections Administrator (EA)

  • Authority: Appointed by County Election Commission (Election Code Sec. 31.032)
  • Duties: Administers all elections ordered by governor, county authority, or contracting political subdivisions (Sec. 31.043)
  • Political Restrictions: Cannot campaign, serve as campaign manager, or contribute to candidates (Sec. 31.035)

2. County Clerk (Default)

Serves as early voting clerk for general elections when no EA exists. General custodian of election records.

3. Tax Assessor-Collector

May serve as county election board chair if commissioners court transfers duties (Sec. 31.072, 31.073).

Early Voting Ballot Board (EVBB)

Key Deadline: EVBB must convene no later than the 9th day before election day (Sec. 87.0222).

Composition

  • Minimum: 3 members (presiding judge, alternate, 1+ member)
  • General Election: Minimum 4 members required
  • Appointed by county election board from party lists with equal representation

Duties

  • Qualify mail ballots voted by mail (Sec. 87.041)
  • Compare signatures on ABBM (Application for Ballot by Mail) with carrier envelope
  • Review provisional ballots after voter registrar verification
  • Count early voting ballots when hand-counting procedures used

Signature Verification

May use any known signature on file with county clerk/voter registrar. Must verify personal ID numbers (DL, EIC, or last 4 SSN digits).

Corrective Action (2023): Voters may correct carrier envelope defects until 6th day after election day using SOS online Ballot by Mail Tracker (SB 1599).

Appointment Deadlines

Position Pop >500k Pop ≤500k
Election Judges June 30 July 31
EVBB Members June 30 (rec.) July 31 (rec.)
Central Count Judges June 30 July 31
Election Clerks 25 days before 25 days before
Source: Election Advisory No. 2024-23, Texas Secretary of State

Key Procedural Changes (2023-2024)

  • SB 1599 (2023): Corrective action process for carrier envelope defects
  • HB 1632 (2023): Standardized training curriculum with examination requirement for election judges
  • HB 2800 (2023): County Election Board meetings must be in-person and open to public
  • Video Surveillance: Required for Central Counting Station operations in counties >100,000 population

Sources

1. Texas Election Code, Title 3, Chapter 31. Justia. https://law.justia.com/codes/texas/election-code/

2. Texas SOS, "Handbook for Early Voting Ballot Board" (2024). https://co.burleson.tx.us/page/open/1918/0/ballot-board-handbook.pdf

3. Texas SOS, "Handbook for Appointing Election Workers" (Jan 2024). https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/forms/app-election-workers-handbook.pdf

4. Election Advisory No. 2024-23 (July 5, 2024). https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/laws/advisory2024-23.shtml

5. Texas SOS, "Election Duties: County Election Officials Directory." https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/county.shtml

Document compiled: April 18, 2026. Next update: Post-May 2026 uniform election results.