Gov. Abbott orders investigation of Harris County election screw ups

 Houston Chronicle:

The Harris County Republican Party announced Monday afternoon that it has filed a 20-page lawsuit in state district court against Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum and county government over voting issues that occurred on Election Day. The party's legal counsel Andy Taylor alleged that double voting may have occurred and that election workers did not segregate provisional ballots that were cast after 7 p.m. in accordance with a court order that extended voting hours in the county to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8.

"I believe that the evidence is going to demonstrate countless illegal acts by administrator Tatum in this election," Taylor said. "I want to say to him and Harris County, the actual governmental body, if you really believe that you didn't cheat, if you believe you didn't violate the law, then participate in the investigation."

Taylor also told reporters that the lawsuit could open the possibility for candidates who lost by a narrow margin to request a new vote to take place. "I believe that based on the evidence in this case you cannot tell the true outcome of this race," he said. "You just cannot ascertain it because there's so many mistakes and so what the law says in that regard? New election."

In response to Gov. Greg Abbott's call earlier in the day for an investigation of Harris County's elections, Harris County Democratic Party Chair Odus Evbagharu issued a statement calling the move "political theater."
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Following his reelection as governor of Texas last week, Greg Abbott is calling for the Secretary of State, the Attorney General's Office and the Texas Rangers to launch an investigation into issues that occurred during Harris County's 2022 general election on Nov. 8. In a press release Monday, Abbott claimed county voters experienced confusion following delays due to missing keys and paper ballot shortages he alleges happened only in Republican precincts, staffing problems and more during last week's election.

"The allegations of election improprieties in our state's largest county may result from anything ranging from malfeasance to blatant criminal conduct," Abbott's said in a statement Monday. "Voters in Harris County deserve to know what happened. Integrity in the election process is essential. To achieve that standard, a thorough investigation is warranted."
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Harris County GOP Chair Cindy Siegel blamed Tatum for the issues she and her team argued could have impacted the outcome of the election. The party's legal counsel Andy Taylor said he suspects the paper shortages were intentional. "Why would it be that the only places that our investigation has shown thus far to not have enough paper to vote were Republican stronghold precincts?" Taylor questioned during a press conference on Thursday. "That ought to tell you something that makes me suspect that this wasn't a colossal failure. This was intentional."

In Harris County, Abbott trailed behind Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke by nearly 10 percentage points, according to unofficial election results. However, Abbott received more than 55 percent of the statewide vote to O'Rourke's roughly 44 percent.

Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) issued a statement supporting Abbott's announcement, adding he suspects more election contests will be filed. "This is not about being an election denier, it is about actual reported irregularities," Bettencourt said. "This is about voter suppression because it's simply unbelievable that in the 21st-century citizens show up to vote and can't cast their ballots...the cause of this must be determined."
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An investigation is called for when it looks like officials are trying to rig an election.  So far I have seen no explanation for the shortages in the GOP polling places.  Those responsible for the failures should be held to account.  I think the investigation should also determine whether Democrats outside the County were involved in the problems caused Republican voters.