Gov. Greg Abbott calls for investigation into election problems; Harris County GOP files lawsuit against county and Elections Administrator

HOUSTON – Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he has called for an investigation into the widespread election problems in Harris County on Nov. 8.

In a release, Abbott stated that the county experienced delays, missing keys, insufficient paper ballots, staffing problems, and more.

“I’m calling on the Secretary of State, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Texas Rangers to initiate investigations into allegations of improprieties in the way that the 2022 elections were conducted in Harris County,” said Governor Abbott. “The allegations of election improprieties in our state’s largest county may result from anything ranging from malfeasance to blatant criminal conduct. Voters in Harris County deserve to know what happened. Integrity in the election process is essential. To achieve that standard, a thorough investigation is warranted.”

Sen. Paul Bettencourt responded to the governor’s announcement, stating that he supports the investigation.

“I suspect many election contests will be filed. This is not about being an election denier, it is about actual reported voter irregularities,” he said. “This is about voter suppression because it’s simply unbelievable that in the 21st-century citizens show up to vote and can’t cast their ballots … the cause of this must be determined.”

Following the Governor’s call for an investigation, the Harris County GOP announced a lawsuit against Harris County and Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum, alleging that thousands of voters were turned away from voting for various issues.

The most egregious issue, according to party leaders, is that at least 23 polling locations ran out of ballot paper on Election Day. Other problems alleged in the lawsuit included issuing second ballots to voters who had problems scanning their first ballot and posting early voting results before polls officially closed in the extended hour of voting, which they claim violates state law.

In the nation’s third-largest county, we have an elections administrator that won’t or can’t give out ballot paper to precincts so citizens can vote,” State Senator Paul Bettencourt said. “Voters were suppressed because they went to polls without being able to vote because the government decided not to give them a ballot. This should never happen again, it shouldn’t have even happened at all.”

The party hopes a court finds the same.

“Order that this never happens again. We want to restore trust in the voters of Harris County and the outcomes that get reported. This is not a Republican or a Democratic issue,” Harris County GOP Lawyer Andy Taylor said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

The lawsuit cannot trigger a new election countywide, Taylor said, but depending on the outcome, it could open the door for some candidates who lost to contest their race in the future.

The Republican Party praised the Governor’s call for an investigation while the Harris County Democratic Party called it another example of “political theater.”

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, seven state election inspectors were in Harris County on Election Day. They are currently finalizing their inspector reports, which aren’t yet available. A spokesperson said it’s standard for the state agency to have election inspectors stationed in counties across the state.

In response to the Governor’s call for an investigation, the spokesperson said the Secretary of State’s Office has initiated the investigation by providing information about alleged improprieties to appropriate investigators, including the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

A spokesperson for the Harris County DA’s Office said they don’t comment on potential investigations unless charges are accepted.

The Harris County Elections Administrator Cliff Tatum released the following statement:

“The Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office is fully committed to transparency regarding the processes and procedures implemented for the November 8, 2022, Midterm Elections. As already established, Harris County has been selected to participate in the 2022 SOS Audit and has been in communication with the SOS Auditing team regarding this election. The office is currently completing vote tabulation of provisional ballots in reparation for the statutorily required manual count that must occur before canvassing. The last day to Canvas is November 22, 2022. The office is currently reviewing issues and claims made about Election Day and will include these findings in a post-elections report to be shared promptly with the Harris County Elections Commission and the County Commissioner Court.”

Harris County Democratic Party Chair Odus Evbagharu released a statement:

“We all know Abbott’s concern is not really the 2022 Midterm Election in Harris County. He’s got his focus on what’s next for him, and he’s hoping simply calling for an investigation will play out in his favor politically. It’s almost laughable that Abbott has demanded this investigation since he actually sent a team to oversee the Harris County elections last week. Was Abbott’s team ineffective? Will Abbott be investigating himself? Our biggest concern about this is that Abbott and other GOP state leaders are trying to criminalize election workers.

“These elections are run by volunteers who are civically engaged and actively participating in the political process, and under Abbott’s watch, election workers have been constantly under attack. Already, GOP State Rep. Andy Murr has pre-filed a bill trying to bump penalties for SB1 back up to a felony from the negotiated misdemeanor. All of these actions by the GOP could make election workers hesitate about volunteering in the future. It should be noted that in July, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced Harris County had been ‘randomly selected’ for an audit of the November election results. This latest call by Gov. Abbott seems redundant.

“Also, Gov. Abbott is acting like Harris County doesn’t examine elections after they occur, and that is simply not the case. The Elections Administrator always conducts a postmortem after an election and from that report, processes are updated and streamlined and corrections in process are made. Let’s see what the EA’s report details and learn how issues flagged will be addressed in the future.”