Elections office warns of shortfall in poll workers ahead of Nov. 3 ballot

Hilda Sarina, presenting for the Hidalgo County Elections Department, told commissioners that the last day to register to vote or update registration for the Nov. 3 general election is Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, and that early voting will run from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30.

Sarina said the office had received about 450 applications for poll workers and was still recruiting, but it had been aiming for approximately 900 workers to staff 69 polling locations and 32 early-voting sites. She said the office could redeploy county employees or hire to cover gaps, but stressed the preference not to close any polling locations.

Commissioners asked the elections office to coordinate with county departments to identify county employees who could serve as a fallback, and encouraged shared outreach materials to recruit election judges and poll workers. Sarina said she would provide flyers and work with the court to promote recruitment.

The court also approved an elections services contract for multiple local entities subject to final legal review.

Sources: Elections presentation in open session (speaker 18).