Staff Reports
Following his victory over Beto O’Rourke in the governor's election, Greg Abbott of Texas called for an investigation into the alleged irregularities that occurred during the November 8th elections. Some of the issues that were reported in Harris County included long lines, paper shortages, and missing keys.
Abbott said the problems might even have been caused by nefarious actions:
I'm calling for an investigation into the widespread problems with the Harris County elections last Tuesday.
The allegations of election improprieties in our state's largest county may result from anything ranging from malfeasance to blatant criminal conduct.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 14, 2022
Abbott asked the Texas Rangers, the attorney general's office, and the secretary of state to investigate the matter. This isn't the first time that Harris County has been affected by irregularities. In March, almost 10,000 ballots were misplaced. These were eventually recovered.
Abbott’s statement:
Integrity in the election process is essential.
Voters in Harris County deserve to know what happened. pic.twitter.com/SSDymmCJAO
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 14, 2022
Here’s what voters were facing that day, according to a local journalist:
Latest: at least 12 locations in #HarrisCounty #Houston are out of paper needed to print ballots. Some have been waiting for hours for paper & turning voters away.#Election2022
— Holly Hansen (@hollyshansen) November 8, 2022
Despite the various issues that occurred, the elections went smoothly. According to John Scott, the secretary of state, he's going to investigate the matter.
The issues led to a legal brouhaha, with progressive groups convincing a judge to allow an extension of the voting period. However, the matter is still not resolved, as the attorney general's office appealed. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Supreme Court of Texas ordered the county to segregate the ballots that were cast during the extension.
Through this investigation, we will be able to provide the public with more information regarding the various issues that occurred in Harris County on Election Day.
Houston Senator Paul Bettencourt, who is also a Republican, said in a statement that the problems that occurred during the elections amounted to voter suppression.
This investigation is not about being a denier of the election, but about actual irregularities. The issue is about voter suppression, as it's heartbreaking to see how many people who showed up to vote were unable to do so.
Bettencourt also took to Twitter to describe the Election Day in Harris County as the worst ever. He claimed that it had been the most chaotic day in the history of major county elections.
It's not yet clear if the criminal activities that occurred on the day will be uncovered. However, it's possible that this could have been a case of gross incompetence.
Senator Bettencourt is right that it's not acceptable to run an election this way. However, he also stated that there's no need to be an election denier to call out the issues that occurred on Election Day.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on REDSTATE.
