The elections commissioner in Harris County, Texas, has announced that she will be resigning following significant problems with last week’s primary, including the discovery of 10,000 uncounted ballots, a lack of poll workers, and issues with the voting machines. This was the first statewide election in Texas since the implementation of new, stricter voting laws.
At a meeting of county commissioners on Tuesday, Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria took responsibility for the disastrous election, and rightfully so. “Ultimately, the buck stops with me. I didn’t meet my own standards,” admitted Longoria.
She also announced that she will be resigning on July 1, which will allow time for a proper replacement to be appointed.
“I think this date ensures that there is a presiding officer during the May and June elections and allows the election commission the time they need to find a replacement,” said Longoria. “I remain committed to the office and its mission and hope to aid in defeating harmful rhetoric to ensure successful elections in the future.”
Longoria’s resignation comes after both Republican and Democratic parties called for her removal after the 2022 primary which took place on March 1.
During the primary election, there were staffing problems and equipment issues that backed up the voting process. Additionally, and most shockingly, 10,000 uncounted votes were discovered days after the election, with 6,000 Democratic votes and 4,000 Republican votes. Officials from both parties signed a document acknowledging this difference in votes, and insisted “further investigation [is] needed.” Longoria also faced criticism for a slow count which took 30 hours to complete.
Current state Rep. Harold Dutton Jr. shared his surprise that so many missing ballots went unnoticed.”It seems to me that somebody should’ve known that 10,000 ballots were missing,” said Dutton. “If 10,000 ballots were missing and nobody knew that, God help us.”
In addition to Longoria’s resignation, she is also being sued by the state GOP for an alleged breach of contract. The Harris County Republican Party is also suing the county for several alleged violations of the Texas election code.
