Cameron County is gearing up for the upcoming November general elections. 

This November, some big state and local races will be on the ballot, including the next governor, congressional representative for District 34, county judge and some county commissioners. 

That's why the county is getting ready now. 

“There’s a lot of moving pieces when it comes to an election," said Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza. "We’ve got to worry about personnel. We’re going to be hiring close to 500 people for this election, both in the office and to work the actual polling places.”

The county also plans to add more voting locations for the upcoming election and due to redistricting, there are changes to the precinct boundaries.

“Some locations no longer have a suitable polling location and other places gained suitable polling locations, so we’re able to use new locations that are closer to the voters,” Garza said. 

While those new locations still need to be approved, some will in Harlingen and El Ranchito.

The county is also making adjustments to offer one-on-one training for their staff and will be creating an election academy. They hope it will prevent small mistakes by election workers and judges that can have a big impact on the election.

The training should also help reduce recounts, audits and other election challenges. 

“Because at the end of the day, like I said, you do have to do reconciliation of the voters and the votes that you have," said Cameron County Elections Department Outreach Coordinator Yoali McLane. "So, you make sure that those documents are filled out correctly.”

The elections department says they’re also interested in opening this training up to the public to understand what goes on to make elections work.