Update 10.25.22: Texas civil rights groups on Tuesday called for federal monitors after what they allege is an undermining of the Harris County midterm elections.
Amid allegations about election security, as Harris County opens its polling places for early voting in the mid-terms today, election workers and local officials will be accompanied by election inspectors dispatched from the Texas Secretary of State’s office and Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.
In past elections, election inspectors have been issued by the Secretary of State. However, the presence of inspectors sent by Paxton is not as normal. With growing concerns about these inspectors, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and voter rights organizations are hosting community-wide events. On Saturday, Hidalgo hosted a block walk with actress and activist Jane Fonda and the League of Womens Voters’ of Houston sponsored an early-voting rally.
Rally speakers addressed the crowd about voters’ rights and allowed attendees to test polling technologies. Hidalgo’s block walk had canvassers coming out to knock on the doors of nearby residents. Despite the supportive turnout, there was slight disruption when a male attendee shouted his disapproval and a female attendee hit another woman.
Voters may also see some federal observers after Hidalgo, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, acting in response to the state officials’ actions, requested additional monitors to monitor what Paxton’s team is monitoring. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has received and is reviewing that request, Menefee said.
This back and forth follows a letter from the Secretary of State’s Office which, among other things, challenged the Harris County record-keeping during the 2020 election and demanded documentation including at some of the largest polling places: NRG Stadium and the Toyota Center that letter arrived right as Harris County Election officials have been busy preparing for early voting (October 24 through November 4) and election day itself on November 8.
“I am just concerned that this could be part of interfering with the overall process and results and this is worrisome, so that is why we have asked for the Department of Justice’s help,” Lina Hidalgo said at Saturday’s block walk. “If Texas is here to lend a hand, great, but I want to make sure we have a third party that will be verifying that there will not be any nonsense going on.”
Texas Civil Rights Project will partner with Common Cause Texas to deploy nonpartisan monitors to the polls. The organization is extending this assistance to Hidalgo and supports the request made to the Justice Department, said Senior Staff Attorney, James Slattery.
Update 10.25.22: Tuesday a group of 45 Texas civil rights groups led by the Texas Civil Rights Project formally requested that the U.S. Department of Justice send federal observers to monitor the Harris County midterm elections citing the Secretary of State’s letter and the involvement of that office and the Texas Attorney General’s office to overlook elections here. The groups also include ACLU Texas, Common Cause Texas, MOVE Texas. Anyone who has trouble voting is encouraged to call the Texas Civil Rights Project’s election hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.
With all this going on there is a lot of pressure on the elections administrator Clifford Tatum, to do a better job than his predecessor’s office did in getting the vote totals reported on a timely basis. Although Tatum has already said it will probably be Wednesday morning before all totals are in.
At this time, Tatum’s office is working to provide all the information requested from the last election. He is also working preemptively to avoid any issues in voter information collection in this upcoming election. “We are being compliant with the SOS, as well as working with the County Attorney [Menefee] to make sure we meet their requirements,” said Lynn Munford, Communications and Strategic Partnership Coordinator.
Menefee characterizes the Secretary of State letter requesting more accounting of the 2020 election as attempted intimidation of this election. “It is important to understand that the state is establishing a pattern, they are attempting to undermine the work of local officials,” Menefee said. “If you think about it broadly, it is a part of a well-publicized national effort that is now rearing its ugly head here in Harris County.”
Many officials say these attempts began during the 2020 election and intensified with the passage of Senate Bill 1 in September 2021. The law made it illegal for Harris County to continue 24-hour voting and drive-through voting. These two practices had been put into place by the former county clerk, Chris Hollins. According to Hollins, the bans placed on these voting practices will affect voter turnout in this election.
“It is no coincidence that this effort was announced just a couple of days before early voting was about to start,” Hollins said. “They are trying to repeat the same efforts as they did in 2021, today.” Hollins also cites the changes in rules about mail ballots and the decrease to one drop-off location, as another extension of these attempts.
If the Justice Department approves the request for federal assistance, it is expected that their monitors will arrive in the county in the next several days, Hidalgo said.
Stakes are high at the state level as the top race features Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbot is attempting to secure his office against Democrat Beto O’Rourke. Current Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton will try to ensure his office against Democrat Rochelle Garza and Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick faces Democrat Mike Collier. On the local level, Lina Hidalgo is up for re-election against Republican hopeful Alexandra del Moral Mealer.
Early voting polls will be open on October 24-29 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m and on October 30 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. October 31 through November 2 locations will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 pm. On November 3 the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; on November 4 they will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Election Day, November 8, locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The deadline for those who qualify to vote by mail to submit their applications is October 28. All mail-in ballots need to be postmarked by November 8 and received by the Election Administration no later than 5 p.m. on November 9. These voters also have the option to return their mail ballots in person, if they choose to do so they can on Election Day at NRG Arena before 7 p.m.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
