Walker County to host Secretary of State regional elections training; court OKs up to $1,700 for meals

The Walker County Commissioners Court approved a request June 16 to provide meals for a regional elections training the county will host for the Texas Secretary of State.

An elections department staff member told the court that Walker County was chosen along with 13 other counties for the two-day regional training. The workshop will cover chain of custody, legislative updates, best practices and hands-on training on the RLA (risk-limiting audit) the state will require beginning in 2026. "We will be utilized ... to do a mock, using our ballots," the staff member said, describing an on-site, practical exercise to help local election officials prepare.

The county secured the storm shelter as a training location and asked the court to approve an amount not to exceed $1,700 from contingency to cover limited breakfasts, lunches and refreshments for 50 to 75 attendees and state officials. The court approved the request by voice vote. The elections staff said the $1,700 request was smaller than initial figures and would be used only for food service; the department does not currently have the funds earmarked in its budget and will request recurring training funding in the next budget process.

Court members pressed for clarification about the new RLA process, which elections staff described as a computerized audit in addition to the partial manual hand counts the state already requires. Staff said the RLA procedure arose from a prior legislative session and that hands-on training will help staff and neighboring counties prepare for the mandatory audits in 2026.

The court approved the meal expenditure and directed staff to account for ongoing training and related costs in future budgets.