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Cameron County panel unanimously recommends switching voter‑registration management to certified third‑party vendor
Summary
The Cameron County Elections Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the commissioners' court pursue a certified third‑party voter‑registration vendor (VR Systems), citing repeated data and functionality problems with the state TEAM system and significant staff overtime and remediation costs.
The Cameron County Elections Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the commissioners' court acquire a certified third‑party vendor to manage the county's voter‑registration system.
Remy, speaking for the elections office, told the commission the statewide transition to the Secretary of State’s TEAM system left the county with “an inconsistency and unreliability” in data exports and functionality. He said the office logged roughly 600 hours of overtime and dedicated about $17,000 in extra pay to clean and reconcile voter records after the March 3 primary.
The office reported specific data problems including merged or multiplied address and name fields in REPORT downloads that required manual cleanup, and an inability to port ballot‑by‑mail applicant lists forward to the May runoff without reentering records. Remy said those issues risk operational errors and could increase the chance of disenfranchisement if not addressed.
Remy recommended the commission ask the commissioners' court to pursue VR Systems, the only currently certified third‑party vendor through the Secretary of State, and to begin conversion work promptly so a local-managed system could be in place ahead of the November election. He said a conversion is expensive and time-consuming but would reduce manual data handling and related risks.
A commission member who spoke in support said similar TEAM problems were reported across Texas and urged securing a third‑party conversion slot now. Commissioner Sylvia moved to recommend the acquisition; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
The commission did not set contract terms or a conversion date; the recommendation sends the matter to the commissioners' court for procurement and funding decisions.
