The Secretary of State’s office will remain in contact with me over the coming weeks as I finalize and certify results. Official canvass reports will be released following the final meeting of the Early Voting Ballot Board on Tuesday, November 12. Once results are finalized, the canvass will be certified by my signature, my official seal, and the approval of the Commissioners Court.

Unofficial Results and Public Transparency

The unofficial election results and the Election Day voter rosters have been posted to the Fannin County Elections webpage for public access. Local media outlets have also received the requested unofficial results.

On November 5, our office received one ballot by mail postmarked November 3, which makes the ballot valid per Texas Election Code Sec. 86.007, and will be included in the final canvass results.

Post-Election Processing and TEAM Closure

Multiple post-election functions must be completed before the election can be officially closed in TEAM. These include:

• Ballot reconciliation and accounting
• Provisional ballot review and resolution
• Preparation of audit documentation
• Post-Election Audit
• Submission of certified canvass results
• Archiving of Election materials

Post-Election Audit

The Secretary of State released an official advisory identifying the contests selected for the post-election audit. In accordance with state law, Sec. 127.201, the post hand count audit has been scheduled during the week of November 12, with the Early Voting Ballot Board reconvening to complete this task.

Acknowledgments

A special thank-you to the Fannin County Sheriff and his two deputies for accompanying us on election night, and to the District Attorney’s Office for allowing us to use their meeting room for the Early Voting Ballot Board to process ballots by mail. Thank you to Dustin Morrow and his Boy Scouts for their assistance with cleaning the 1st Presbyterian Church on Election night, and to the County
Clerk for sharing members of her staff with me to assist with Election night duties.

My sincere appreciation also goes to Lisa York and Galen Bennett for their support in the tabulation room.

Debrief and Improvement Efforts

I will be inviting election judges and workers to participate in post-election debrief sessions to discuss their experiences, gather feedback, and share improvement ideas as we prepare for the 2026 election cycle.

My first debrief with Mr. Spell from Precinct 19 (Honey Grove) provided valuable insight into how we can better serve voters at that location.

Administrative Updates and Staffing

A very special thank you to Stephanie Hawes, my Election Deputy Clerk, for assisting me in every way imaginable during my first Fannin County Election. Additionally, I have begun taking steps toward filling an existing vacancy in my office. I am currently drafting the job description for a second Clerk, and plan to post the position in the coming weeks.

IMPORTANT: Upcoming Ballot and Precinct Updates

Following an evaluation of our county’s current practices, I have made the administrative decision to return to a traditional precinct numeric system for labeling and generating ballot styles, beginning with the Primary Election. This will ensure that each voter receives the correct ballot style based on their location of residence, reinforcing election integrity and accuracy.

To prepare voters for this transition, I will write an informational piece to publish in the local media to educate the public on precinct numeric systems — their history, function, and importance — ahead of the upcoming primary election. Precincts and their splits help ensure orderly administration of elections – they define who can vote where, which ballot style, which polling place, which offices/issues apply to each voter, and create manageable units for registration, polling-place placement, ballot creation, staffing, and tallying results. This legal framework gives structure to: where precincts are, how they are defined, how they are numbered, and how population growth changes are documented and identified for the proper conduct of Elections.

Thank you to my election workers and volunteers for their commitment, professionalism, and teamwork in delivering a secure, transparent, and successful election for the voters of Fannin County, in the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS.

Sincerely,
Your Elections Administrator -Cris Pérez García