Texas County Democrats Approve Lawsuit Against State to Stop Election Audit

Darlene McCormick SanchezAugust 4, 2022

County officials criticize a random drawing that put them in line for a second audit

County officials approved a potential lawsuit against the Texas Secretary of State’s Office over a random drawing that will mean a second election audit for the state’s largest county.

Harris County, home to Houston with over 2 million residents, is currently undergoing a state-run forensic audit of the 2020 election. The Democratic-controlled county allowed drive-thru and 24-hour voting during the pandemic, which prompted scrutiny.

State auditors are in phase two of the audit, where some 3,000 potential noncitizens were found on the voter rolls. The county is now attempting to verify the citizenship of those flagged by the state.

The most recent election problem in Harris County occurred during the 2022 primaries, when 10,000 votes were found after the election.

Democrats see the additional audit as pointless, saying that elections are secure and that Republicans have bought into former President Donald Trump’s election fraud claims.

Dozens of people calling to stop the vote count in Pennsylvania due to alleged fraud against President Donald Trump gather on the steps of the State Capital in Harrisburg, Penn., on November 5, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a Democrat, told the Harris County Commissioners Court during the Aug. 2 meeting that the secretary of state’s drawing names from a bucket was akin to a “sketch comedy show.”

Menefee questioned the validity of the drawing, noting that the video of the selection didn’t show the entire process. He complained that Harris County wasn’t given notice of the drawing—which the secretary of state’s office denied.

“The camera doesn’t show the paper that was pulled from the bucket,” he said during the meeting. “All these things taken together make this highly suspicious.”

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis suggested