Williamson County Elections Administrator Chris Davis resigned Wednesday following an hours-long closed meeting of the county’s Election Commission.
The five-member commission voted unanimously to accept Davis’ resignation.
No reason was given for why Davis resigned after eight years on the job.
According to the meeting agenda, the commission was prepared to accept Davis’ resignation, suspend him with or without pay, or terminate him—suggesting a serious issue with his performance.
Davis has been under fire since the 2020 election from residents critical of mistakes made by his office, such as giving voters the wrong ballot styles, as well as Davis’ failure to address their concerns.
But not everyone was critical of Davis.
Williamson County Democrat Party Chair Kim Gilby said during the open portion of the meeting that Davis was fair, transparent, and professional, adding she had “an incredible working relationship” with him.
Gilby is a member of the Election Commission, which includes the county judge, county clerk, county tax assessor-collector, and chairs of the county’s Democrat and Republican parties.
Local residents say they can’t recall the commission meeting since Davis was hired in 2015.
County Judge Bill Gravell called another Election Commission meeting for next Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. to appoint an interim elections administrator and discuss permanently filling the vacancy.
Marcia Watson, a longtime election worker and executive director of the advocacy group Citizens Defending Freedom-Williamson County, has been one of Davis’ critics.
Watson recorded part of Wednesday’s meeting, which the county did not livestream.
She and others now want the county commissioners court to consider returning the elections administrator’s duties to elected officials—preferably at the court’s next meeting on Tuesday morning, before the Election Commission meets again.
Prior to consolidating election functions into a single office, the clerk managed elections while the tax assessor handled voter registration.
“This provides voters a direct voice in accountability, transparency, and reliability of our elections,” Watson told Texas Scorecard. “Most importantly, this returns trust and confidence.”
