Troubles developed in Texas’ most populous county on Election Day, prompting officials to give people more time to cast their votes.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott wanted to know what happened when polling places in Harris County didn’t have enough paper votes.
According to Abbott, “everything from malfeasance to brazen criminal behavior” might be behind the many charges of election improprieties in the state’s most populous county.
“The people of Harris County must be informed of the current situation. In order to make progress, we need fair elections. To fulfill this requirement, a thorough investigation is required.”
Elections Administrator for Harris County Cliff Tatum has said his office is “totally dedicated to openness” during midterm elections; as a result, the Harris County Elections Department will be audited by the Texas Secretary of State in 2022.
Tatum told Fox News Digital that his office was “currently examining issues and claims made about Election Day” and that a report would be shared “promptly” with the Harris County Elections Commission and the County Commissioner Court.
It has been reported that on election day, numerous polling places in Harris County did not open at 7 a.m. as scheduled. It took more than four hours to get inside the BakerRipley House in Houston’s downtown area when a key was misplaced, as reported by Houston Public Media.
Due to the delay, the court ordered all 782 polling locations in Harris County to remain open until 8 p.m. Voting “shall proceed wholly as permitted by” the Texas Election Code, as established by the Texas Supreme Court, which means that late ballots must be counted separately.
The Republican Party of Harris County has complained that certain polling locations lacked the necessary number of workers or ballots.
Abbott, who was elected for a third term, has asked the Texas Secretary of State, the Texas Attorney General, and the Texas Rangers to look into the problems that arose on Election Day.