Uvalde County canvasses Nov. 5 results, affirms outcomes; commissioners to review polling‑site changes later

The Uvalde County commissioners court formally canvassed the Nov. 5, 2024 general election and approved the county’s Canvas report during a meeting called to order about 11:00 a.m. Unidentified Speaker 1 asked the court to accept the Canvas report and canvass the votes, members seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Election staff told the court that 9,838 voters cast ballots in the general election, slightly fewer than the roughly 10,005 voters in 2020. "We had 9,838 voters come out to vote," Unidentified Speaker 2 said, and added that the change from 2020 reflected atypical conditions that year. Staff reported seven post‑election ballots were counted—four provisional and three late mail ballots—and said "it did not change the outcome of any race."

Staff described why many provisional ballots were not accepted, saying the majority were from people not registered in the state or who were temporarily present in the county. Unidentified Speaker 2 explained the limited‑ballot process for voters who are registered in another county and said the early‑voting ballot board reviews provisional ballots.

Commissioners and attendees also discussed recent changes to polling locations and ballot packaging for sample ballots. Staff said the office moved from 14 to 10 active ballot drop/holding locations for this election, while preserving sites outside the city of Uvalde and keeping the Civic Center as the primary county location. "1,082 people showed up to the civic center," Unidentified Speaker 2 said, identifying it as the county’s highest‑volume site on election day.

Several attendees and commissioners raised concerns about consolidating lower‑volume sites. Unidentified Speaker 3 said public sentiment at a prior meeting favored countywide voting while leaving neighborhood drop boxes in place, and asked whether commissioners had been consulted before changes. Unidentified Speaker 2 said staff had discussed the changes with both party chairs and the city and had attempted outreach through newspaper notices, Facebook posts and candidate communications. "They kept getting denied by Facebook," Unidentified Speaker 2 said about attempts to buy Facebook political ads.

On a point of procedure, Unidentified Speaker 3 noted that under Texas law the county has authority to consolidate polling locations without bringing the decision to the commissioners court; staff confirmed counties may operate with as few as seven locations for certain elections and said the office is considering what is appropriate for future contests.

The court accepted the Canvas report by voice vote; the motion carried and the meeting was adjourned. Commissioners agreed to place any detailed policy discussion about consolidating polling sites on a future agenda and to review a follow‑up report staff offered to provide on how voters used countywide polling outside their home precincts.

The Canvas report acceptance concluded the meeting; no race outcomes changed as a result of the post‑election ballots discussed at the session.