In a move Texas Republicans characterize as a “major legislative victory,” Senate Bill 2753, which passed through the Legislature a few weeks ago, was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday, June 22.
Lawmakers touted the measure by suggesting the bill will streamline elections and improve the integrity of the voting process.
Tom Green County Elections Administrator Vona Hudson said she doesn’t know all of the particulars yet, but she should learn more soon.
“We’re getting ready to have our conference with the Secretary of State in August,” she said, adding that she is anxious to attend, just so she can get a better understanding of exactly what the new law is going to mean for us locally.
She said that elections administrators statewide have been watching the bill closely.
“I worked with our association, trying to get that bill in a good position to be able to implement it,” she said, “and that included hopefully not having it become effective until 2027.”
Hudson said current thinking among her colleagues is that it would be best to have a couple of years to make sure everything is done correctly.
“That is certainly needed, as far as I’m concerned, just so everybody can figure out how to implement it,” she said.
The main changes include:
An early voting period that begins 12 days ahead of election day (instead of 17 days) and continues up to the day before the election, including weekends and holidays. This eliminates the gap between early voting and election day.
The law also specifies that all places serving as early voting locations must be open on election day as well.
One of the biggest issues Hudson sees arising from this change by lawmakers has to do with tabulating early and absentee voting.
The new law prevents election officials from beginning the count of early and absentee ballots ahead of the polls closing on election day. Now they can’t process those ballots until after 7 p.m., a move Hudson predicts the public isn’t going to like very much.
Changes at the Elections Office
Hudson also said they will have to relocate either the central count area, which currently is in the heart of the
Elections Office, or move the early voting area somewhere else in the building, because they can’t exist in the same place.
Hudson said they are required to have cameras in the central counting area, so the public can watch, and, since it’s against the law to have cameras in a polling place, they’ll have to figure that problem out.
Finding Enough Workers
While she restated that she is awaiting final clarifications on everything, it looks like they may need to make some changes to polling places used often in the past.
“One of the things that we’ve looked at in our county, is how to find polling places that will allow us to be there all the way through [early voting], including weekends and holidays,” she explained.
“So; this is what I’m seeing, as far as how this is going to be implemented: In the last runoff election, we had the Elections Office for early voting, and then we had four satellite voting centers; Riverside Golf Course, Westlake Hardware, the bus depot and MHMR.
“But, being able to impose on those facilities with this new schedule, all through the weekend and on holidays — and now Sunday is going to be 9 hours instead of only 6 …”
Finding enough poll workers has always been a challenge, but Hudson said the bill might mean they need several more than are on the current roster.
While state statutes require a minimum of three people at each polling place, in reality, you need more, according to Hudson.
“If someone needs to vote curbside, that takes a couple of people; you need to be able to give poll workers restroom breaks and a lunch break.
“Three might work in smaller vote centers, but it’s not realistic at most of ours.
“So, I think another big challenge is going to be finding enough poll workers, and locations that can accommodate us.”
Vona Hudson serves as the Region 3 Chairperson for the Texas Association of Elections Administrators, which includes the counties of Andrews, Brewster, Coke, Concho, Crane, Culberson, Ector, El Paso, Glasscock, Howard, Hudspeth, Irion, Jeff Davis, Loving, Martin, Midland, Mitchell, Nolan, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Runnels, Sterling, Taylor, Tom Green, Upton, Ward, Winkler.
The Original Bill
According to the original introduced version of Senate Bill 2753, offered by Sen. Bob Hall, one of the stated intentions of the legislation was to abolish early and absentee voting altogether.
