Valley elections departments prepare for upcoming primaries
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The March primaries are almost here and the deadline to register to vote is just days away.
Elections officials said this year will be the first time they are having a joint March primary election. That means each political party will hold its primary in the same location.
Both the Republican and Democratic Party will share resources such as poll workers and electronic voting equipment.
Officials with Hidalgo County say they will be testing their voting machines on Saturday to give voters a chance to see what the process looks like.
"As this is the first time that the county is joining the ballot, is not joining the ballot but joining the March primary, we would like everybody to take a look how the process is, ask any questions so that way they can see what the voting process will be like," Hidalgo County Elections Administrator Hilda A Salinas said.
Starr County will also have a joint primary election. Officials say their machines will be tested later this month.
Cameron County is holding two separate primary elections, and their machines will also be tested sometime this month.
Currently, Cameron County is looking for poll workers for this year's elections. The county has about 400 poll workers, but they still need about 300 more.
"Also, we utilize student clerks. So if you're in high school, and you're 16 years of age or older, you can get permission from your principal and your parents, and you could actually help us out on election data to help serve the voters," Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza said.
Both Hidalgo and Starr counties have confirmed they have enough poll workers.
If you are interested in being a poll worker, you can check on your county's website for any available jobs.
Early Voting starts on Tuesday, Feb. 20 and runs through March 1.
Monday is the last day to register to vote in the primaries, and Feb. 23 is the last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.
Election Day is March 5.
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