Kerr County election hand count: volunteers tallied 2,692 ballots in just over five hours; cost about $27,636

Sharon Agold, the hand‑count coordinator, briefed Kerr County Commissioners Court on the May runoff hand count, saying teams hand‑counted 2,692 ballots in 5 hours and 7 minutes and that final hand‑count expenses totaled $27,635.73, below the $33,452 projection. She said 52 hand‑count team members were trained and that many volunteers have returned their pay to reduce costs.

Agold described operational details: the first team began counting at 3:32 p.m. and the last completed at 8:39 p.m.; teams averaged counting bursts between 16 and 35 minutes; a self‑audit after election night discovered minor arithmetic errors that were corrected before the canvas. She also noted a precinct poll‑pad issue (a pad jumped by 100 voters in Precinct 2) and recommended follow‑up checks on that equipment before the next election.

Commissioners asked about reimbursement from the Secretary of State. Agold said the SOS reimburses "reasonable" costs as defined in state statute and that, based on her review and submitted documentation, the county’s reported costs fall within those categories; she added the state’s current plan is to reimburse $22,000 initially and to consider additional repayments once all county submissions are reviewed.

Multiple local election volunteers and precinct chairs spoke in support of the hand‑count process during public comment, calling the system accurate and easily scaled: "They were all excited... these hand counters did an amazing job," one precinct chair said. A precinct chair and an experienced election judge recommended continuing to use the Echo 65 counting system for audits and recounts.

What’s next: County staff will follow up on poll‑pad anomalies, consider procedural changes Agold recommended (earlier start time, envelope checklists, additional assistants for hand‑count judges) and submit cost documentation to the Secretary of State for reimbursement review.