Tag Archives: elections administrator

Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron provides a coda to that accursed election and all of the bullshit that followed. When Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in August that she had found no evidence of election rigging during the 2022 midterm elections, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Where is Ann Harris Bennett?

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not at the office. The elected official in charge of Harris County’s voter registration and tax collection appears to have been absent from her office for years, last swiping her ID to enter the county building in late 2020, county … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Fifth Circuit pauses vote harvesting injunction

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Here they come to do what they do. A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated portions of Texas’ 2021 voting law regulating ballot handling, ruling that a judge’s previous decision to strike certain rules came too close to the 2024 … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Fifth Circuit pauses vote harvesting injunction

More of the omnibus voter suppression bill blocked

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Better (very) late than never. Certain provisions of Texas’ sweeping 2021 voting law that restrict voter assistance violate the federal Voting Rights Act and cannot be enforced, a federal judge in Texas ruled Friday. Among the rules struck down by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vote harvesting provision of omnibus voter suppression law SB1 blocked in federal court

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very timely, even if it took forever to get here. A federal judge ruled on Saturday that part of a Texas law that enacted new voting restrictions violated the U.S. Constitution by being too vague and restricting free speech. The ruling, made by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Election monitors coming

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

::rolls eyes:: The Secretary of State’s Office will again assign state inspectors to observe the handling and counting of ballots and monitor election records in Harris County, the state agency said while releasing a new audit outlining problems with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Election monitors coming

Meanwhile, in Gillespie County…

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Bless their hearts. The hand count of thousands of Republican primary election ballots in Gillespie County is on track to cost taxpayers more than double the wage costs of the 2020 Republican primary, according to records obtained by Votebeat. Public … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gillespie County hand count riddled with errors

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Oopsie. An hour after Gillespie County Republican Party Chairman Bruce Campbell declared the hand-counted primary election results completely accurate and certified them as final, he found another discrepancy. “It’s my mistake for not catching that,” he said, sitting in front … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Our one page ballot

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Harris County voters and election workers can look forward to one major improvement in the upcoming March primaries: the county’s lengthy ballot now fits on one piece of paper, rather than two. The change is due to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gillespie County to hand count primary ballots

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some lessons need to be learned the hard way. When Gillespie County Republicans conduct their primary in March, they will count votes in an ill-advised way: by hand, using scores of volunteers, without any machines. Even if they can pull … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Harris County drops its lawsuit over the law banning its Elections Administrator

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The right move at this time, though the whole thing still rankles. Harris County dropped its lawsuit against the state on Wednesday, ending its challenge to a law that went into effect weeks ago eliminating the county’s elections office. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County elections update

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No news is good news. By all accounts, Harris County pulled off a smooth local election last week under its newly reconfigured election administration. But officials didn’t have time to revel in it before a judge took them to task … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spotlight on the Harris County Clerk

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

But first, a few words about early voting so far. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth reports that voters have cast more than 54.4K in-person ballots during the first four days of Early Voting for the November 7 Joint General & … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SOS releases 2022 Harris County election audit

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They sure know how to time these things. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s office on Thursday released preliminary findings from its audit of Harris County’s November 2022 election, the latest analysis of an election that has been the subject … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SOS releases 2022 Harris County election audit

The lawsuit over the omnibus voter suppression law has begun

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Settle in, this will take awhile. Two years after voting rights groups challenged Texas Republicans’ sweeping overhaul of its voting and election laws, the case comes to trial Monday in a federal court in San Antonio. The lengthy roster of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The lawsuit over the omnibus voter suppression law has begun

Harris County election duties return to County Clerk and Tax Assessor

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Elections Administrator Cliff Tatum will not be involved in Harris County elections operations after Friday, as he will not be hired by the county clerk’s or tax assessor-collector’s offices as part of a massive reorganization. Harris County’s elections operations … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

SCOTx denies stay request in elections administrator lawsuit

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Harris County’s request for an emergency order that would have allowed the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office to run the upcoming November election by temporarily delaying the implementation of a new state … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Part of the omnibus voter suppression law struck down

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. A federal judge in San Antonio ruled this week that it is illegal for Texas elections officials to reject mail-in ballots and the applications for them over ID mistakes on elections paperwork. The requirement was part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Judge temporarily blocks law abolishing Harris County Elections Administrator

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A good first step, but we’re far from finished here. The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday appealed the decision of a judge to temporarily block a new law passed by Republicans to abolish Harris County’s elections chief position. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County files its first lawsuit over an election bill

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Another early start, for a clear reason in this case. Harris County is headed to court to challenge a new state law that abolishes its elections office, County Attorney Christian Menefee announced Thursday. The county’s lawsuit aims to stop Senate Bill 1750 from going into … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

City to sue over mandatory arbitration law

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Add it to what is likely to be a substantive list. Houston city attorneys said Monday they plan to challenge the constitutionality of a new Texas law that gives Houston firefighters mandatory arbitration in their long-running contract stalemate. Lowell Denton, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Tarrant County picks a new elections administrator

Posted on June 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It could have been worse Tarrant County picked a new elections administrator Friday to replace Heider Garcia, who resigned earlier this year after he said he faced political pressure from Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare. The Tarrant County Election Commission … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Justice Department follows up with Tarrant County

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Officials at the U.S. Department of Justice have committed to meeting with Tarrant County’s top Democrats to discuss the letter they sent requesting an investigation into voting rights. The Democrats, under the lead of U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County to sue over those two new election laws

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I wish I felt more optimistic about this. Harris County will file a lawsuit challenging two Republican-backed election bills headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, County Attorney Christian Menefee announced Wednesday. At issue are two measures that apply only to Harris County, including one that abolishes … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County to sue over those two new election laws

Lege kneecaps Harris County elections

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The Texas House of Representatives voted Tuesday to force Harris County to eliminate its chief election official and to give state officials more authority over elections there. On a 81–62 party line … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Tarrant County Dems seek Justice Department investigation of voting rights issues

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Elected officials who represent Tarrant County’s minority communities have asked the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate County Judge Tim O’Hare and other county officials over concerns that their actions will diminish voting rights. The letter, signed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tarrant County Dems seek Justice Department investigation of voting rights issues

How the May election is being run in Harris County

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Fresh off last November’s midterm elections, Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum has implemented operational upgrades to the county’s system and vote collection process for presiding judges working at polling locations. These changes have been in full swing … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How the May election is being run in Harris County

Lege targets Harris County election administrator

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We knew something like this was coming. House and Senate bills filed by Republican lawmakers in response to Harris County’s mismanagement of its recent elections could give the Texas secretary of state the authority to step in, suspend county election … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lege targets Harris County election administrator

Tell me you have no evidence of voter suppression without telling me you have no evidence of voter suppression

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Houston furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has launched a website in hopes of gathering evidence of voter disenfranchisement in Harris County’s November 2022 election. The initiative follows the Gallery Furniture owner’s lawsuit filed last week accusing the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office of refusing … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The furniture guy files a lawsuit

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Spare me. Houston furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has filed a lawsuit against the Harris County Elections Administrator’s office accusing it of refusing to turn over public records related to the November 2022 election, adding to an array of GOP litigation aimed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

DaSean Jones wins after provisional and cured mail ballots are counted

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure someone is going to throw a fit over this. The Harris County felony judge race for the 180th criminal state district court flipped Friday night in favor of incumbent DaSean Jones after new mail and provisional ballots were … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

If Greg Abbott demands an investigation, Greg Abbott will get an investigation

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is all still so dumb. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg is launching an investigation into “alleged irregularities” during last week’s election after receiving a referral from the Texas Secretary of State’s office. Ogg sent a letter to Texas Department … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on If Greg Abbott demands an investigation, Greg Abbott will get an investigation

This is all so dumb

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to quote a large swath of this Reform Austin story because it sums up what has been happening the past couple of days better than I could. Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into Harris County’s election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The “less is more” option for improving Election Day

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This deserves serious consideration. Widespread problems with Harris County elections likely would be relieved if officials reduced the number of polling locations in favor of fewer sites that operate more efficiently, a Rice University researcher and some recent reports say. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments