CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Clerk Kara Sands is giving her elections office a vote of confidence.
That comes after the loss of two top employees just days before Tuesday’s Texas Primary. Sands said she'll have a crew of more than 250 people working for the primary, including her staff, temporary employees, election judges, and volunteers.
That's why she's not worried, even after Nueces County lost its Elections Manager and Elections Coordinator days before the primary. Sands said the county's polling places are ready to go, and so is her staff.
“This is a well-oiled machine; my entire office comes together for every election,” Sands said. “One person cannot run this election; two people can’t run this election.”
Sands said the Elections Manager's departure was planned after he accepted a job in the private sector.
“He trained and transitioned someone to take his place, so we're good,” Sands said.
However, the Elections Coordinator's resignation was sudden. Sands said his departure was fall-out from a letter, which was mistakenly sent out with mail-in ballots. She said most of the coordinator's job happened before the primary, but another staffer will assume his election day duties.
“My staff is cross-trained, they're professional, and they're ready to go,” she said.
As for the primary itself, Sands said that despite low early-voting numbers, she expects Tuesday’s turnout to be ‘super.’
“There's a lot of factors involved in that, people were waiting for South Carolina,” she said.
Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and will stay open until 7 p.m. If voters are running late to the polls, Sands said as long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you will get to vote, no matter how long it takes.
