BELL COUNTY, Texas — Bell County election workers went through required training for the upcoming 2024 election on Thursday, Sept. 26.
County officials invited 6 News to get a peek behind the curtain to share what goes on in the training, the importance of it and how exercising your right to vote is a bipartisan goal in Bell County.
At the training was a mix of Bell County residents from the Democratic and Republican parties who were nominated and approved to be election judges. As election judges, they keep polls and ballots organized and secured during elections.
Texas Secretary of State representatives were also present.
Thursday's training included information about Texas elections law, how to ensure the laws are being upheld in and outside of the polls and what one should do if problems arise and how to ensure everyone can vote that is eligible.
Jeff Howard is the co-elections director for Bell County, representing the Republican Party. He says Bell County has the most secure operation he has seen in his 15 years of working in elections.
"Primary responsibility for all the judges is election security and ballot security," he said. "Every ballot is accounted for, everything is, is kept tracked, logged across the board. The equipment, nothing is hooked up to the internet. Everything is stand-alone equipment and it's reviewed prior to the election through a logic and accuracy testing."
Howard worked alongside Irene Andrews to provide required training to election judges.
"I think it should be a, a message of confidence and also pride that our county works very hard to be united in our efforts and united in our focus on the voters and not on anything else," Andrews said. "When you are prepared, you're confident when you are prepared, then the voter is confident and then things go smoothly."
Parties aside, it's their job to ensure the election laws are known and also implemented.
"There are all kinds of ways we can make sure the voter can still vote," Andrews said. "But it's all according to the secretary of state's election law.
Most counties have sample ballots ready for you to review so you know your options come to the time to vote. You can check them out in our Election Guide here.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 7.