Election Commission & Boards

Some boards, commissions and committees have specific roles in elections administration in Caldwell County. This page explains what each one does, who sits on it, and where its notices are posted.

For information about voting and elections, start at the Elections home page.

The Election Commission is set up to address employment of the Elections Administrator in counties that have an administrator. Under HB 1678 and Texas Election Code, Sections 31.032–31.038, activities of the commission are defined as “the appointment, acceptance of resignation, or recommendation for termination of a county elections administrator or joint elections administrator.” No other duties are within the Election Commission’s scope.

Members of the Election Commission are the designated holders of the positions below.

Recommendations of the Election Commission require a positive vote from four (4) of the five (5) members. At that point, the recommendations are forwarded to the Commissioners Court, where a simple majority must vote for the recommendations to go into effect.

An administrator may be suspended or terminated at any time for “good and sufficient cause,” which the General Counsel has defined as egregious actions, such as partisan political involvement, fraud, or habitual drunkenness.

The County Election Board is responsible for decisions regarding appointment of Election Judges and members of the Early Voting Ballot Board and Signature Verification Committee. It only meets during Primary election years.

Members of the Election Board for general elections of state and county officers are:

• Elections Administrator (Chair)
• County Judge
• Party chairs of all parties on the general election ballot
• County Sheriff

The Early Voting Ballot Board meets to qualify mail-in ballots, provisional ballots and FPCA (overseas) ballots. Members can meet up to four times depending on the election.

A Signature Verification Committee can be called by the Early Voting Clerk (the Elections Administrator). The Early Voting Clerk sets the number of members needed and the dates and times of the meetings. A Signature Verification Committee is not established in every election.

It meets prior to Election Day to compare signatures on mail-in ballot applications to those on the ballot envelope. The party chairs submit a list of names to be considered for the committee. The committee must be composed of a minimum of five registered voters.

The Secretary of State is the chief election officer for the State of Texas. The Secretary of State’s Elections Division provides assistance and advice to election officials on the proper conduct of elections. This includes hosting seminars and elections schools, providing calendars, ballot certification, primary election funding, and legal interpretations of election laws to election officials. The Secretary of State also provides assistance to the general public on voter registration and other election issues through the toll-free number 1-800-252-VOTE (8683) and at sos.state.tx.us.

Every election notice this office publishes is also listed on Notices & Documents and in the full document archive.