Damage control: Hidalgo Co. Democratic Party tries to mitigate primary hiccups for runoff

The Hidalgo County Democratic Party is trying to piece itself together after stumbling on Election Day, when it closed more than a dozen polls voters expected to be open throughout the county. The leaders of the local and state party have since said the closures were caused by a perfect storm of issues, including a new state law, a lack of training opportunities for election workers and an overall unwillingness to work. “A lot of people are concerned about the status of where the runoffs are going to be, and they just don’t want to see the same situation occur for these really important races coming up,” incoming Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chair Richard Gonzales said last week.

Gonzales, who was elected to lead the local party in March, will not oversee the Democratic runoff election because he won’t take charge until June 13. Instead, the duties will once again fall on Patrick Eronini, who was appointed chair in December after the elected chair, Norma Ramirez, stepped down to run for county judge. Two weeks ago, Eronini was heavily criticized for closing the number of advertised Election Day polling locations from 56 to 41 — a little less than 24 hours before polls opened. Still, he argued, the 41 locations he did open were more than the 28 sites the county elections department opened during the early voting period — which, by law, it has to administer — and more than twice the amount the local Republican Party opened on Election Day. “I opened up over 40 locations,” Eronini said about available polling sites on Election Day. “The Republicans had 18 — but I’m the one getting the bad rap?” The local Republican Party opened the 18 polling locations it advertised. Most of Eronini’s criticism, however, stemmed from his decision to close a majority of the polls in western Hidalgo County. Some even called for his resignation.