Harris County Democrats Decry Gov. Abbott’s Call for Election Investigation
‘Yet Another Example of the Political Theater We’ve Come to Expect,’ Says HCDP Chair
HOUSTON – Gov. Greg Abbott’s call on Monday for an investigation of Harris County’s elections is “yet another example of the political theater we’ve come to expect from our state leader,” said Harris County Democratic Party Chair Odus Evbagharu.
“We all know Abbott’s concern is not really the 2022 Midterm Election in Harris County. He’s got his focus on what’s next for him, and he’s hoping simply calling for an investigation will play out in his favor politically.
“It’s almost laughable that Abbott has demanded this investigation since he actually sent a team to oversee the Harris County elections last week. Was Abbott’s team ineffective? Will Abbott be investigating himself?
“Our biggest concern about this is that Abbott and other GOP state leaders are trying to criminalize election workers.
“These elections are run by volunteers who are civically engaged and actively participating in the political process, and under Abbott’s watch, election workers have been constantly under attack.
“Already, GOP State Rep. Andy Murr has pre-filed a bill trying to bump penalties for SB1 back up to a felony from the negotiated misdemeanor.
“All of these actions by the GOP could make election workers hesitate about volunteering in the future.
“It should be noted that in July, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced Harris County had been ‘randomly selected’ for an audit of the November election results. This latest call by Gov. Abbott seems redundant.
“Also, Gov. Abbott is acting like Harris County doesn’t examine elections after they occur, and that is simply not the case. The Elections Administrator always conducts a postmortem after an election and from that report, processes are updated and streamlined and corrections in process are made.
“Let’s see what the EA’s report details and learn how issues flagged will be addressed in the future.
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For Immediate Release
Nov. 14, 2022
Contact: Elisa Rochford
(832) 316-1865
elisa@harrisdemocrats.com