HOUSTON — Four days ahead of the start of early voting in Texas, the top elections official for the state’s largest county said his office is ready for what he expects to be record turnout.
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins told reporters the county’s record 122 early voting centers will have enough staffing and COVID-19 precautions.
During a media tour at NRG Arena, which will serve as an early voting site and the county’s elections headquarters, Hollins showed off pandemic-related safety measures. Those include voting machines spaced six feet apart, distance markers in line, hand sanitizing stations, personal protective equipment available for both voters and workers, and Plexiglas between both parties.
The county’s voting safety plan is very similar to one used during the July primary runoffs. Since then, a team of local doctors and health experts helped the county improve that plan for the general election.
“In July, we were giving gloves to our election workers, and what we learned is that in right here in the Texas Medical Center, many doctors are not using gloves right now because that can actually spread more contamination than it helps,” said Hollins.
Hollins says nearly 40,000 people have applied for more than 11,000 paid election worker positions.
“That process of recruitment will continue all the way through Election Day,” said Hollins. “We’re gonna start early voting on Tuesday, and of course, we have all of our election workers that we need for then.”
NRG Arena is also one of 10 drive-thru voting locations, a first for Texas.
Another new feature for this presidential election: 24-hour voting. That’ll happen at NRG Arena and six other Harris County voting centers during the final 24 hours of the early voting period.
Early voting starts Tuesday, October 13 and lasts through October 30.