County Clerk seeks new elections leadership, IT security liaison and additional probate clerks to meet reporting deadlines

Travis County Clerk staff briefed the court Aug. 13 on four priority staffing requests tied to elections operations and probate/mental‑health workload and compliance. The clerk asked for an elections assistant director to help implement recent legislative and procedural changes, an elections administrative assistant to handle increased constituent service needs, and an information security liaison (systems engineer senior) dedicated to election systems security and federal guidance compliance. The county’s Planning & Budget Office reviewed the requests and recommended some but not all positions in the preliminary budget; staff asked the court to consider the remaining roles during budget markup.

New state and federal election timelines and equipment guidance are driving the office’s staffing ask. John Waller, the new Elections Division Director, cited changes such as no gap between early voting and election day, requirements that an election day site also be an early voting site, and the possibility of redistricting that could require precinct and site changes. Waller said those changes will increase workload and complexity across site selection, staffing, training and IT security; he also noted recruitment and retention challenges as the secretary of state has increased its own staff and attracted experienced local personnel.

On probate and mental‑health administration, Probate/Mental Health Division Director Griselda Velasquez explained that filings and scanned/indexed documents have risen sharply and the clerk’s office is responsible for time‑sensitive duties including 24‑ to 48‑hour reporting to the national instant criminal background check system for involuntary commitments and new statutes (HB4123, HB1182, HB2384) that add fingerprinting and expanded reporting requirements. The clerk requested three Probate Clerk I special‑project workers (two‑year, 1‑time funding) to ensure compliance with deadlines, reporting and the new rules; staff provided a letter of support signed by the presiding Probate Court judges.

Planning & Budget asked the clerk to provide additional detail on workload and timing; clerk staff said the probate/procedure risks included delayed reporting that could, in some cases, allow prohibited persons to purchase firearms until reporting is complete, and urged the court to treat the clerk’s request as a public‑safety and statutory‑compliance priority.