Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Election Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Election official: Turnout up, recounts matched; state rules will change voting period
Summary
Justin Crothers told the Coryell County Commissioners turnout was higher this year and recounted processes matched machine results; he warned that upcoming state law changes will replace 'early voting' with a continuous voting period, likely increasing county costs and staffing needs.
Justin Crothers, the county’s election authority, reported to the Coryell County Commissioners that turnout in 2025 was higher than recent years and summarized precinct-level ballot breakdowns and recount activity.
Crothers said the packet he provided "shows the turnout for 2025 of 7004 and 43 voters" and compared that with previous cycles. He told the court the county’s registered-voter roll stands at "44,838 registered voters" and that the packet breaks down mail ballots, early voting and election-day counts for each proposition.
Crothers described changes in recount rules, saying the county must now hand-check three races and that the ballot board — not staff — performs the random selection and counting. He said the recount process took multiple days but that "everything matched" and that county equipment and testing give him confidence in machine counts over manual counts.
Both Crothers and the Chair discussed pending legislative changes that will replace the term "early voting" with a continuous "voting period," requiring the county to cover additional weekend days: "we'll start instead of starting on Monday, two weeks prior, we'll start Thursday, two weeks prior and run straight through election day," Crothers said. Officials warned this will raise costs for staff and machines and create logistical challenges.
Crothers and the Chair framed the schedule change as a state-level rule the county will have to implement; they described it as an unfunded mandate with operational and budget consequences but did not provide a dollar estimate in the meeting.
