In Cameron County, the elections department wants to keep the countywide polling available.
During the 2024 Presidential election, Cameron County voters were able to cast a ballot at any location in their county on Election Day instead of their specific precinct.
On Tuesday, county commissioners passed a resolution to continue the countywide polling place program.
The resolution was passed after Dallas-area Republican Senator Bob Hall introduced a bill into the 89th legislative session that would ban countywide voting.
READ MORE: Some Texas lawmakers want to ban countywide voting on Election Day. Local officials are pushing back.
Channel 5 News requested an interview with Hall, but he was unavailable.
In a summary of Senate Bill 76 that Hall’s team sent to channel 5 News, Hall said some election workers have said countywide voting creates vulnerabilities in election security.
Hall also said countywide voting increases the frequency of error and fraud in elections.
Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza says there are benefits to keeping the countywide polling program.
According to Garza, countywide voting gives voters more places to go vote, and it helps the county during emergencies.
Garza said countywide voting also reduced the number of polling locations, which saved the county money.
“That helps reduce the number of poll workers that we have to hire, so we’re expecting to see in the long run a cost savings, “Garza said.
Garza said his team and the Texas Secretary of State considered the 2024 launch of countywide voting in Cameron County successful.
According to Garza, the 2024 Presidential race saw the highest recorded number of voters in Cameron County’s history.
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