TYLER, Texas (KETK) — As early voting begins Monday for Texas’ primary runoff elections, county election offices across the state are preparing for yet another round of voting in what has become an increasingly relentless election calendar.
For some Texas counties, the May 27 primary runoff marks the third election since March, with additional runoff elections and potential constitutional amendment elections still ahead later this year.
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Election administrators say the nonstop cycle is pushing both full-time staff and volunteer poll workers to their limits.
A nearly year-round election schedule
Texas voters have already participated in several elections in 2026, beginning with the March primary elections, followed by city, school and special elections in May. In many communities, races that failed to produce a majority winner have triggered runoff elections, requiring county offices to quickly reset and prepare all over again.
In East Texas, that means election departments are moving almost seamlessly from one contest to the next. “We’re having them all back-to-back, and it is exhausting,” Michelle Allcon, the elections administrator for the Smith County Elections Office, said.
Smith County is preparing for the Texas primary runoff while simultaneously organizing the June 7 runoff election for the City of Tyler mayoral race between John Nix and Stuart Hene.
“We’re easily getting confused on who’s signing up to work, on what days, and who’s not available,” Allcon said.
Volunteers are the backbone of elections
In Gregg County, Jennifer Briggs said the county’s four full-time employees rely heavily on dozens of temporary workers and volunteers to operate polling places and process ballots. Right now, Briggs said her office is managing eight different races throughout the county while also working overnight shifts to prepare voting equipment and finalize ballots.
“Vacations for everyone, doctor’s visits — unless they’re emergencies — all that stuff has to kind of be put on hold,” Briggs said.
After months of continuous elections, some poll workers have begun stepping away.
“We have had some that have had to drop out just because there are so many elections happening back to back to back,” Briggs said.
Election fatigue extends beyond East Texas
The challenge is not unique to Smith and Gregg counties.
Across Texas, election departments, particularly in rural counties with small staffs, are tasked with administering primaries, local elections, runoffs, special elections and statewide propositions, often within weeks of one another.
Most county election offices employ only a handful of full-time workers and depend on retired residents and community volunteers to serve as poll workers.
Election experts say the repeated election schedule can lead to burnout, increased administrative pressure and difficulty recruiting enough trained workers to staff polling sites.
Why so many elections?
County officials say much of the schedule is dictated by state law.
Texas statutes set strict timelines requiring runoff elections to occur within a certain period after the original vote. At the same time, new election laws have added additional procedures, reporting requirements and security measures that increase the workload for local offices.
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“It’s the scheduling. These runoffs have to happen within a certain timeframe after the original election,” Allcon said.
Briggs added that updated legislation has required election offices to do “more and more.”
Preparing for the polls
Despite the long hours and mounting fatigue, election administrators say they are committed to ensuring every election runs smoothly. As voters head to the polls this month and again in June, officials are asking residents to remember the people behind the scenes who make the process possible.
“Be patient and kind,” Allcon said. “We’ve had a long day.”
Early voting for the Texas primary runoff begins Monday, with Election Day set for May 27. In communities such as Tyler, additional runoff elections will keep election workers busy well into the summer.
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