County Magazine

To help the county officials who oversee elections deal with the demands and challenges of the job, the Texas Association of Counties will be offering a new educational conference during Oct. 5-6. The conference, known as the County Elections Academy, will be made up of online classes over two half-days.

"Elections are a core function of county government," said TAC Executive Director Susan M. Redford, "and this academy is another opportunity for the Association to unite counties to achieve better solutions."

TAC President Nathan Cradduck has appointed a committee to create the academy's curriculum. Known as the Education Advisory Committee, it is made up of four clerks, four election administrators, one tax assessor-collector/voter registrar and one ex officio member from the Texas Secretary of State's Office. Chambers County Clerk Heather Hawthorne and Hays County Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff are the co-chairs.

Committee members are working on ways to offer practical advice on running elections.

To help meet the busy schedules of election officials, the academy is planning to alternate between online and in-person classes from year to year. For 2023, TAC is offering an in-person conference.