Harris County election workers are still counting ballots following an exceptionally high turnout, and officials are urging residents to be patient as the process continues.
As Texas’s largest county and the third largest in the nation, Harris Co. faces a significant task in managing the votes of its 2.4 million registered voters, with 1.5 million ballots cast in this election alone.
At the Harris County Election Technology Center, a facility larger than a football field, election workers are deep into the final phase of tallying.
The process involves election judges from over 700 voting centers who are delivering their equipment and paperwork to seven designated rally centers around the county. Each voting center brings equipment and detailed verification paperwork to ensure every vote is accurately accounted for in this pivotal presidential election.
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Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth spoke about the demanding nature of the election, stating, “Accuracy and efficiency is our main target and making sure that we’re helping our election workers as they come in with all their equipment. This is a presidential election. This is much larger than your city and local elections or even runoffs. And so it takes time, as you would imagine, to get through this.”
Election workers are also fielding questions from both voters and election judges, ensuring all documentation and processes are handled carefully.
Hudspeth confirmed that Harris County aims to report all unofficial results within 24 hours after polls closed, meeting the state-mandated deadline.