LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Roxzine Stinson is retiring as Lubbock County Elections Administrator after 23 years with the office, calling the experience a blessing even as she described her departure as bittersweet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a blessing. This county has been a blessing,\u201d Stinson said.<\/p>\n
Stinson began her career in the elections office in 2003 after a county commissioner encouraged her to apply. She said she had always known she would be a mother and maybe a schoolteacher, but she quickly settled into the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst thing I did walking in the door was, why do we have a little bitty paper shredder?\u201d Stinson said. \u201cA year after, I came walking in the door one morning, and one of the ladies greeted me as, \u2018Good morning, boss.\u2019 And I went, what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She was promoted to chief deputy, serving as second in command to longtime administrator Dorothy Kennedy. She took over as elections administrator in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed every year. Like I said, no election\u2019s the same, no voter\u2019s the same. I do have an amazing staff that I am going to miss a lot,\u201d Stinson said.<\/p>\n
Vote centers and statewide influence<\/p>\n
Stinson and Kennedy introduced vote centers to Lubbock County in 2006, making it the first county in Texas to do so. The program allows voters to cast ballots at any polling location in the county, not just one assigned to their precinct. According to the state, 100 counties were approved to use the program for this year\u2019s primary runoff in May.<\/p>\n
Stinson credited Kennedy for taking the initial risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of them gain knowledge from Dorothy. And I\u2019m going to give her the accolades for that because, you know, she stepped out on a limb and this county went with her and we all supported her,\u201d Stinson said.<\/p>\n
Stinson also stayed involved in the elections process at the state level. She recalled a state senator joking with her to \u201cget a life\u201d after she mentioned staying up late watching a legislative session.<\/p>\n
A steady message to voters and volunteers<\/p>\n
Stinson said she has watched election trends shift over the years \u2014 from paper to fully electronic and back to some paper. Her message to voters has remained consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to show up at the polls,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also said the elections office still needs volunteers, noting poll workers have become harder to recruit in recent years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think especially the last six or seven, and I\u2019d love to see it pick back up.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says give it a year and a half, and she may be back at a poll working as a volunteer. Stinson said leaving the people she works with is what will make retirement most difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I can make my trip without bawling all the way because when I walk out that door, it\u2019s going to be extremely hard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
New administrator steps in<\/p>\n
Stinson will not be present for Saturday\u2019s city council District 4 runoff election, but said she is confident in her successor, Troy Havard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Mr. Havard I would be close to my phone close to the polls closing, but he can handle it, I promise you,\u201d Stinson said.<\/p>\n
Havard, a native of Lufkin, Texas, will oversee an election on his first day on the job. He spent 28 years in the Marine Corps before retiring in 2019. He began his elections career in Tarrant County after a colleague he met while stationed in California encouraged him to pursue the field.<\/p>\n
Havard said he sees parallels between military service and elections administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about having a direction, knowing what that direction is, what\u2019s needed to accomplish the mission \u2014 in this case successful elections, transparent elections. So, another thing that translates really easily is integrity. In the Marine Corps, integrity is, especially for Marine officers, is paramount, and elections is the same thing,\u201d Havard said.<\/p>\n
Havard said he lives by the mantra \u201cif it\u2019s not broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d and plans to carry that approach into his new role leading the Lubbock County Elections Office.<\/p>\n
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