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Grimes County funds election‑machine upgrade and debates summer office hours for elections office
Summary
The court approved funding and training for a software upgrade on 88 election machines to allow testing before the November election; commissioners debated and split over a proposal to change Elections Administration summer hours, recording a 2–3 vote on the court’s recommendation.
The Grimes County Commissioners Court on June 11 approved funding and training for a software upgrade to the county’s 88 election machines and discussed a proposal to change the Elections Administration Office’s summer hours.
Elections Administrator Rachel Walker told the court the Hart vendor notified her of necessary software upgrades "that are needed to conduct the upgrade" and that upgrades would fix machine issues including connectivity and slow boot times. Walker said she did not budget for the expense in FY25 and asked the court to authorize funds now rather than wait until October so the county can test machines and train staff well before the November election.
Commissioners approved the upgrade and authorized the county auditor to make necessary budget adjustments, with the court noting $12,000 in a special‑election contingency account could be used if needed. The motion was made by Commissioner Chad Mallett and seconded by Commissioner Michael Rasco.
Separately, Walker requested temporary summer hours (close Fridays) for June–August to consolidate staffing. Commissioner David Tullis reported the county election commission (which oversees the department operationally) discussed a proposal to move hours to Monday–Thursday with extended evening hours. Tullis said the board recommended keeping Friday hours (8 a.m.–5 p.m.) to preserve public access. When the court voted on a recommendation, the recorded count on the floor was 2 ayes and 3 nays; the court agreed to let the temporary schedule proceed with monitoring and to revisit it if the office receives complaints.
Why it matters: The software upgrade has a near‑term deadline tied to early voting preparation, and the office‑hours debate affects public access to voter services during the summer months. Walker reported 21,174 registered voters in the county; any changes to access were discussed with that constituency in mind.
What’s next: Elections staff will schedule the upgrade and training this summer and test machines ahead of early voting; the court directed the auditor to make necessary budget transfers if required. Commissioners asked staff to monitor call and complaint volume related to the summer hours and report back if problems emerge.
