Four judicial candidates in Harris County have withdrawn from their Democrat primary races following legal challenges to their ballot filings, prompting a judge this week to order several names removed from the 2026 primary ballot.
The candidates—Allison Mathis, Anna Eady, Angela Reese McKinnon, and Velda Faulkner—exited their races after incumbent judges and other Democrat opponents filed lawsuits alleging deficiencies in their applications for a place on the ballot. According to the Houston Chronicle, the challenges ranged from procedural filing errors to allegations that some petition signatures were forged or otherwise invalid.
Although all four candidates withdrew from their races last week, a judge on Monday formally ordered the removal of three candidates from the ballot. The court order was required because ballot filing deadlines had already passed, meaning election officials could not remove names without judicial authorization.
Under Texas law, candidates seeking a place on the ballot must comply with statutory filing requirements. The Texas Election Code requires a candidate’s application to clearly state the office sought, including any identifying number for multi-court districts. Failure to include that information can render an application defective. One of the challenges filed against Faulkner cited precisely that issue, alleging her initial filing did not properly identify the judicial office she sought.
Other challenges focused on candidate petitions used to satisfy ballot access requirements. Judicial candidates in large counties such as Harris County must submit either a filing fee or a petition containing a minimum number of valid voter signatures. State law also requires each petition page to include a sworn affidavit from the circulator affirming that the signatures were personally witnessed.
Several of the challenges focused on the work of Jaivan Smith, a signature circulator who gathered petition signatures for multiple judicial candidates, including Mathis and Eady. Opponents alleged Smith personally forged dozens of signatures across multiple petition pages, pointing to what they described as striking handwriting similarities.
According to the legal filings, “The petition pages circulated by Jaivan Smith exhibit massive systematic handwriting irregularities, including near identical letter formation, slant and stroke patterns across multiple signed entries appearing on the same petition pages.” The filings further state that “[t]hese observable similarities … strain credulity as to whether each purported signatory personally affixed his or her own signature.”
Texas Election Code provisions governing petitions make clear that signatures must be genuine and personally affixed by the voter. If a signature is forged or not signed by the voter listed, it is invalid and may be challenged in court. Complaints filed against Mathis and Eady alleged that dozens of signatures collected by the same circulator exhibited nearly identical handwriting characteristics, raising questions about whether the signatures were authentic.
Neither Mathis nor Eady was accused of personally forging signatures. Mathis, a criminal defense attorney, disputed the allegations and defended the work of the signature collector but said she withdrew to avoid the cost and time pressure of expedited election litigation. Election challenges move quickly, and defending a petition can require immediate and sustained legal representation.
Mathis, meanwhile, has stated, “The allegations are unproven, unsubstantiated and I feel like this is an example of why people get disgusted with politics. I think when there’s Democratic in-fighting, it gives Republican arm strength to say these elections are unfair and that’s not true.”
Election law attorneys note that ballot challenges can be prohibitively expensive, even when allegations are unproven. Texas courts have repeatedly held that candidates bear the responsibility for ensuring their filings comply with statutory requirements, including verifying petition signatures before submission.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
