Hunt County discusses contingency vendor for elections and continues search for permanent elections administrator

Hunt County officials discussed a potential contingency arrangement with the vendor that supplied the county’s voting equipment to provide training, ballot creation, and election‑day support, but the court did not consider or approve any contract June 23.

Judge Stovall and county staff explained the vendor (identified in meeting materials) can provide on‑site election‑day support and training; staff said some services would be charged per day or occurrence and that the vendor had offered free training at its Austin facility if the county pays travel and expenses. County staff said they were awaiting the hiring of a permanent elections administrator before deciding on vendor commitments.

Judge Stovall summarized broader staffing challenges: "We can't mess up the election," he said, noting recent statewide turnover in election administration and that the Secretary of State's office and some vendors had experienced problems earlier in the year. Staff also reported a multi‑page public comment from Caressa Sanders about item 4 would be added to the meeting record and reviewed; the court did not take contractual action on the item during the session.

Why this matters: The county is preparing for upcoming ballots and wants to ensure adequate staffing and technical support for elections; the discussion reflects broader, recent personnel instability in election administration.

What’s next: The county continues to advertise for a permanent elections administrator, is using an interim administrator in the short term and will revisit vendor commitments once staffing is resolved.