Dallas County commissioners press elections office on split‑party polling plan, staffing and equipment risks

Dallas County’s Commissioners Court spent an extended portion of its Feb. 3 meeting pressing elections staff for detailed plans to run the upcoming primaries after the state-directed decision to separate Republican and Democratic early‑voting operations.

Commissioners and elections staff described a series of operational changes that the parties requested — most notably separate “jump drives” and split polling-room layouts that require equal numbers of partisan workers on each side. The elections director warned the configuration raises a risk that a location will be understaffed if one party does not supply enough judges or clerks.

"If no one shows up on the Republican side, then as the elections office, we will look through individuals who have contacted us outside of party recommendations and see who may be eligible to then serve in those capacities," the elections director said, describing the office’s plan to create a pool of trained reserve workers to fill gaps. The office also said it is expanding a call center to field a high volume of voter inquiries on Election Day and early voting.

Commissioners repeatedly pressed for backups and metrics. One commissioner noted the county has 2 weeks of early voting plus weekend hours and urged aggressive voter education, while others warned that last‑minute voters could still be unable to vote if they arrived at the wrong location. "That potential for somebody not voting is heaviest" in the last hour of polls, the elections director said, stressing the need for clear public notice and rapid troubleshooting.

Elections staff also provided equipment and logistics updates: a vendor (ES&S) identified roughly 365 pieces of equipment that required attention, with 156 reported repaired as of the end of last week; telecommunications work to provision a call/war room remains in progress and county facilities staff were asked to expedite a wall removal to accommodate phone drops.

The court discussed the financial and contractual implications of late party preparations. County staff said they have prepared contracts for approximately 260 locations and will temporarily assume contact and payment responsibility to ensure sites are ready; the county expects to seek partial reimbursement from each party. A county official said the state will return 75% of certain up‑front costs (approximately $650,000 per party) as part of standard reimbursement procedures.

Commissioners pushed staff to continue expanding the reserve worker pool and to finalize telecom and equipment testing before early voting begins, and emphasized public outreach to encourage voting early rather than waiting until Election Day. The elections director said additional details and contingency plans will be shared with the court as they are finalized.

Next steps: elections staff promised to continue equipment repairs, expand the call center, provide a roster of reserve workers, and circulate documentation on what voters should expect at early‑vote centers and on Election Day.