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Liberty County orders November election, approves 22 polling sites and new election security steps
Summary
The Liberty County Commission ordered the Nov. election, approved 22 polling locations and authorized election security measures and a camera upgrade after an executive session; it also approved a payroll time-tracking purchase and a $40,000 budget amendment for election supplies.
The Liberty County Commission voted July 30 to formally order the county’s November election and approved plans the clerk’s office said are intended to streamline administration and boost security.
Miss Chambers, representing the county clerk’s office, told the court the county has secured 22 polling locations for the November cycle and expects no rental fees for the sites. Chambers said the clerk’s office will use county‑issued phones and a new time‑tracking system to manage roughly 80 temporary election workers and to reduce payroll errors. "We have 22 locations," Chambers said, adding the county will also use the Santa Fe location for early voting with a bilingual staff member on site.
The court approved purchase of TimeClock Plus through OMNIA contract 14.1: a $1,170 annual license, $3,000 initial setup and an estimated per‑employee per‑election fee of about $4.06 (an example of 80 workers would cost roughly $324.80 for a single election). Chambers said the software will let election staff record check‑ins and check‑outs and export hours into the payroll system to reduce manual errors.
The auditor recommended and the court approved a $40,000 budget amendment shifting program income (line 027-350-000) to office expense (0274030231000) to allow the clerk’s office to buy necessary election supplies (ink, paper and related items) in time for the election.
Security measures for polling locations were discussed in closed session under Local Government Code 418.183 and then approved in open session. The court voted to adopt recommendations from the sheriff’s department that include stationing and patrolling by peace officers at polling sites and to solicit pricing to upgrade cameras in the election office.
By approving the items — the polling locations, the software purchase, the budget amendment and the security recommendations — the court took several steps staff said are necessary to prepare the county to administer the November county elections.
Next steps: the clerk will place the locations and staffing plans into the election order, implement the TimeClock Plus system and work with the sheriff’s office on deployment and camera upgrade pricing. The court did not identify any additional funding sources beyond the approved program income transfer and the usual election budgets.
