Erath County approves ballot‑on‑demand and electronic poll‑book contracts for upcoming elections

With election season approaching, the Erath County Commissioners Court approved a First Amendment to its ballot‑on‑demand agreement and approved a licensing, maintenance and support agreement for an electronic poll‑book system.

County election staff told the court the First Amendment lowers the county’s license cost for the ballot‑on‑demand system to $44,298, with an annual fee of $5,258, because the county no longer requires certain external vendor connections. The court approved the First Amendment by motion and second followed by a voice vote.

Separately, the court approved a one‑time payment of $39,775 for the electronic poll‑book licensing, maintenance and support agreement for Elections Administration; county staff said existing contract funds plus grant money will be used to pay this expense.

Why this matters: the contracts fund critical election‑administration systems — ballot printing on demand and electronic poll books — that the county will use in upcoming elections.