16 hours ago
City advocates for county elections admin
Local officials are looking into the possibility of the county creating a Cooke County elections administrator position.
At Tuesday evening's meeting, the city council approved advocating for a county position that would help local elections run smoothly.
'The city of Gainesville currently conducts its own municipal elections,' said City Secretary Diana Alcalá. 'While this gives us direct control over the process, it also requires a significant investment of staff, time, coordination and resources.'
In recent years, the city has partnered with other entities in joint elections, including Gainesville Independent School District, North Central Texas College and Cooke County. While this helps save on costs, improves voter access and utilizes polling places more efficiently, it also creates coordination issues, spreading workers thin.
'Establishing a county elections administrator position is not just about shifting responsibilities,' said Alcalá. 'It's about strengthening the way elections are managed throughout Cooke County, including right here in Gainesville.'
According to Alcalá, having a designated elections administrator would help ensure consistency and compliance with election code, and create a more consistent and clear process for voters.
'I regularly have voters show up to the tag office when I have an election at the Civic Center, and the same thing happens when the county election voters mistakenly come to our polling places,' said Alcalá. 'Each entity still has unique rules depending on its type and population, and coordinating that is not a small task.'
Alcalá also mentioned that Cooke County Clerk Pam Harrison is looking to retire in the next few years, and having an elections administrator before that happens would help ease that transition, as Harrison does a lot in organizing local elections.
The resolution passed by the city council simply voices its support for creating the position, and does not change the city's election authority.
