Texas Lt. Gov. Calls for Election Redo in Harris County

After some Harris County voting centers had a shortage of ballot paper in November, causing difficulties for many voters, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is calling for a new election to take place.

“How many people went to go vote that didn’t go back? We don’t know,” Patrick said during a talk at the Magic Circle Republican Women’s Club. “So, we do need to have a new election.”

Last month, a local news station in Houston discovered that the ballot shortage in Harris County was more widespread than the Elections Administration Office estimated.

The county’s own post-election analysis on the shortage was “largely inconclusive.” But after reviewing help desk logs and calling presiding judges, the county estimated that around 46 to 68 voting centers ran out of their initial ballot paper.

Additionally, KHOU 11’s investigation found that 121 voting centers did not initially receive enough ballot paper to cover voter turnout.

Patrick is joined by other lawmakers and candidates concerned with the election problems in Harris County, including Republican county judge candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer, who has filed multiple lawsuits against the county to contest the election results.

Gov. Greg Abbott also took to Twitter to express his concern with the large scale of malpractice in the county, saying this “may necessitate new elections.”

A court order would be required for an election redo to take place.

Emily Medeiros

Emily graduated from the University of Oklahoma majoring in Journalism. She is excited to use her research and writing skills to report on important issues around Texas.