The Texas Secretary of State's election division will provide "enhanced" election oversight during in Harris County's upcoming November election following the conclusion of an audit for the 2021-22 election cycle.
What's happening
According to an Aug. 23 news released from the secretary of state's office, the agency will:
- Assign state inspectors to perform checks on election records, and observe the handling and counting of ballots and electronic media
- Assist Harris County throughout the duration of the election period from early voting through voting tabulation
Digging deeper
The state's enhanced presence comes after Secretary of State Jane Nelson released audit results on Aug. 23 into how Harris County and three other counties conducted the 2021-22 election cycle.
The audits include lessons for election officials across the state to offer voters the reassurance that state election processes are thoroughly reviewed, Nelson said in a statement.
“Texas’ audit process provides accountability and insight into how elections are conducted on a county level to ensure the integrity of our elections,” Nelson said.
The details
According to the state's report, key findings in Harris County's election process for the 2021-22 election cycle included how the county:
- Failed to estimate and issue the required amount of ballot paper, which resulted in voting interruptions in more than 15 polling locations for the November 2022 midterm election
- Failed to properly train its election workers to operate new voting equipment, which resulted in voting equipment failures
- Failed to keep an accurate list of registered voters in county records, which has since been addressed, according to the release
- Did not have complete paperwork from polling locations in numerous elections
How we got here
Since the November 2022 election cycle, various electoral administration changes have occurred in Harris County.
After the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1750 last May, Harris County’s former election administration system was eliminated, which led to election responsibilities falling under two other county departments: the Harris County tax assessor-collector and the Harris County clerk.
County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said in an Aug. 23 news release her office is actively reviewing the state's audit report and remain committed to upholding the highest standards of transparency, efficiency and accuracy.
"We will continue to ensure that the concerns that plagued the now-defunct Elections Administrator’s Office are not revisited," Hudspeth said.
Some context
The audit report was released roughly two weeks after Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced the conclusion of her office's investigation into the November 2022 election. Ogg announced charges against a former county election employee for tampering with government documents while also concluding that there was no evidence of intent to sway the outcome of the election.
The full 100-page audit report includes findings related to voter registration, election security and training election workers, among other areas.
