Val Verde County approves polling changes, reviews post-election hand counts and party reimbursement concerns

County elections officials told the Commissioners Court they had completed a post-election hand count and certification after the Nov. 4 joint election and that the hand count matched machine results for the sampled precincts. The elections administrator said the hand count process is required by state election code and the office finished the work with no discrepancies.

The court approved a joint primary resolution to contract with both the Val Verde County Republican and Democratic parties for the March 3, 2026 primary and authorized an election service contract with the City of Del Rio for its May 2, 2026 election.

Elections staff recommended removing a low-turnout polling place (Precinct 21) from the polling-build list for the coming March election because of persistent staffing shortages and low turnout; the court voted to remove the location for the election cycle with a review to consider restoring the location later.

Officials also described logistics to improve ADA access at Northside Baptist Church by using entrances on both sides of the site and reallocating staff to reduce congestion on the busiest precinct.

Commissioners discussed a recurring $3-per-hour difference for election-day clerks (county pays $15/hr while the state reimburses $12/hr) that historically has been billed to local party committees. Elections staff said both local party chairs now say they have limited funds; the court discussed options but took no immediate funding action, saying it would proceed with staffing the elections and requested further follow-up on reimbursement obligations.