Harrison County approves March 3 primary polling sites and party service contracts

The Harrison County Commissioners Court on Jan. 15 approved the county’s March 3, 2026 primary election polling locations and contracts with local party organizations to staff election day operations.

"These are the same 18 we used in the primary in 2024," Elections Administrator Donald Robinette said as he presented the list of election‑day sites and the early‑voting locations. He said party chairs reviewed the sites and agreed with the selection.

The court approved contracts with the Republican and Democratic county parties for election‑day services. Robinette told commissioners the contracts total roughly $15,000 for the Republican contract and about $13,000 for the Democratic contract (estimates provided in court). He cautioned that early‑voting labor remains a county obligation and that recent changes in state advance funding may require temporary county coverage of some costs until the Secretary of State reimburses the county.

Robinette also reviewed nominations for the early‑voting ballot board and described a new requirement that some counters be designated as ballot‑board members; he said additional counters were nominated from each party to satisfy that requirement.

Why it matters: The court’s approvals establish the logistical framework for the upcoming primary and authorize the county to execute the contracts needed to staff polling sites. Robinette said the county may need to cover some early‑voting expenses temporarily pending state reimbursement.

Next steps: Elections staff will finalize contracts, publish polling locations and continue outreach to secure poll workers for each site.