Citizens in one county are asking a lot of questions about the integrity of their voting procedures after some very concerning irregularities and discrepancies came to light regarding the results in November’s general election.
In Hays County, as many as 1,816 votes were not counted during the November general election after a ballot box went completely missing. That would be concerning in its own right – except that it led to the uncovering of something more extraordinary and disturbing.
The discrepancies started surfacing when a municipal utility district’s bond and board of directors election failed – in an election with only two possible registered voters, the landowning parties who voted yes on the bond. What’s strange is only one vote was cast in that tiny election – against the bond – causing it to fail.
After the two individuals who knew how they voted sued to overturn the election, it was discovered that their votes were contained in the box that went missing. The county has since claimed that the lone mystery vote in that election is attributable to an ineligible voter casting a ballot.
That particular election was overturned and county officials are claiming the issue is resolved – but citizens who are concerned about countywide implications aren’t satisfied with that answer. Concerned citizens have been pressing the Hays County Commissioners Court to add the item to the agenda for further investigation.
The MUD election isn’t the only voting irregularity either. In Precinct 111 in Hays County, 718 voters cast a ballot out of 420 registered voters. That’s a mind-boggling turnout of 170.95%. So far, there has been no official explanation for this discrepancy, but given the other irregularities in the November election, it seems like a worthy target for investigation.
Those who wish to learn more about the issue or want to get involved can do so here.
Time and time again conservatives are told that their concerns about voter fraud and ballot integrity are unfounded and paranoid, but given the multiple instances of irregularities that have occurred across the state in the past year alone, it is well past time to bolster the process to ensure that it remains a faithful cornerstone of accountable governance.
