Texas county elections are coming up, and just in time for the primaries, The Canadian Record has given us a helpful overviewof how county politics work. The actions of counties, unlike cities, are limited by laws passed by the state legislature. The commissioners court is the heart of each county.
In each Texas county, this court consist of four precinct commissioners and a county judge. The court is in charge of the county’s budget and tax rate, as well as all county purchases.
There’s also a district attorney who represents the state in investigating and prosecuting felony criminal cases.
In addition, a county has both a district and a county clerk. The district clerk serves as custodian of records for the district court; the county clerk serves as record custodian for the commissioners court.
The elected sheriff is in charge of enforcing the state’s criminal laws within the county.