Texas forms working groups to improve election system

Texas Secretary of State Robert Howden announced the formation of working groups composed of county election and registration officials and their staff. These groups will prioritize the functionality of the Texas Election Administration Management (TEAM) system as redevelopment continues.

The updated TEAM system was deployed in July 2025 to serve as the statewide voter registration database and provide election management support for many county election offices. Its implementation followed a situation where a third-party elections vendor went out of business in the summer of 2025.

This event required the state to onboard 11 counties to TEAM, a process that typically takes months but was completed in weeks to meet upcoming election deadlines.

Additionally, mid-decade redistricting triggered a redrawing of local precinct lines for more than 70 counties, which forced a pause in the redevelopment of the TEAM system. With no major statewide election on the immediate horizon, officials state there is an opportunity to upgrade and improve the system using direct feedback from users.

"We have now conducted multiple successful statewide elections using the updated system, and we have learned a great deal," said Secretary Howden. "Without a major statewide election on the horizon, we now have an opportunity to upgrade and improve the functionality of the system with direct feedback from users."

Howden emphasized the need for input from county election officials to ensure enhancements align with worker needs. "We need the input of our county election officials and their staff in order to ensure that the enhancements we are building into the system align with the needs of election workers," he said.

"With their help, we will deliver a system that makes it easier for counties to run elections."

The Office of the Secretary of State will work with county election officials to organize these working groups and establish priorities for system enhancements.