Harris County election officials announced a set of initiatives June 15 meant to ensure election integrity and prevent the spread of the coronavirus during July runoff elections.
The list of 23 initiatives—called the S.A.F.E. Plan, which stands for safe, secure, accessible, fair and efficient plan—covers things such as poll worker safety, preventing vote tampering and reducing the time it takes to report results. The plan was released by interim County Clerk Christopher Hollins, who was appointed to the position by the Harris County Commissioners Court to replace Diane Trautman, who resigned May 31, citing health concerns.
“My commitment to all the residents of Harris County is to administer a safe, secure and fair election this July and again in November," Hollins said in the June 15 release.
The county has also increased the number of early voting locations by five and is planning to extend hours at certain locations.
The announcement comes after several rulings in state and federal courts against the argument for allowing all voters to apply for mail ballots based on the idea that a lack of coronavirus immunity constituted a disability under state law. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled on the case, but another case in federal court could end up going before the Supreme Court before November elections.
Harris County Commissioners Court has approved up to $12 million for the clerk's office to invest in safety measures and capabilities to process an expected increase in mail ballots.
The 23 items are separated into five categories.
Safety
