Dallas County elections chief faces questions over background checks, payroll and hand-count logistics ahead of March primary

Dallas County Commissioners Court used a broad briefing Oct. 21 to put elections leadership on notice about multiple operational risks ahead of upcoming elections, including confusion over background checks for existing poll workers, recurring payroll delays for temporary election staff, several reported equipment and supply issues at early voting locations and the logistical demands associated with a Republican request to conduct an election-day hand count in the March primary.

The elections administrator told the court that background checks would not be required of current poll workers going forward and that staff would circulate a written clarification to remove confusion. The administrator acknowledged earlier volunteer-initiated background checks and said none of those checks uncovered prohibitions that would disqualify workers.

Commissioners and election staff also discussed payroll problems that have delayed payments to election workers in past cycles. The administrator said the office would personally monitor payroll accuracy during the election and recommended post-election work to strengthen the process, noting several independent pieces of payroll processing must come together to ensure timely pay.

A separate, politically driven issue is a request from the county Republican Party to hand-count paper ballots at the polls on election day. The election office said the logistics and training for a paper-hand-count approach are the party's responsibility in that arrangement, and any written contract spelling out hand-count methodology should be finalized well ahead of the date the parties intend to proceed.

Commissioners asked for a timeline and written agreements on hand-count logistics, site availability (including large facilities such as Fretz Park), the printing responsibility for paper ballots and whether the party had recruited the thousands of additional counters it said would be required. The administrator said new supervisory positions and an operations manager were being added before the election to improve on-site oversight.

The court directed staff to provide written clarifications about background-check policy and to monitor payroll closely during the current election; commissioners said they would assist as needed to ensure stable operations for voters and temporary staff.