Harris County commissioners voted 2-0 to approve the canvass of the Nov. 8 elections and adopt the official election returns during a special meeting Nov. 22.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia were the only members present to vote; the Texas Election Code provides that two members constitute a quorum to canvass an election.
The results included over 2,000 provisional ballots cast during a one-hour extended voting period on Election Day. The extension was granted by the 334th District Court after the Texas Civil Rights project filed a lawsuit to keep the polls open until 8 p.m. due to some locations failing to open on time at 7 a.m.
The Texas Supreme Court then issued a stay on the lower court’s order and directed the Harris County Office of the Elections Administrator to segregate the ballots cast between 7-8 p.m. On Nov. 21, the Texas Attorney General’s office asked the Texas Supreme Court to order the county to throw out the late-cast ballots entirely, according to the petition for a writ of mandamus.
