HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — As early voting is underway in Harris County, the Elections Security Task Force is also working to help ensure the safety of all voters and elections operations.
There’s a hotline available for voters to report any issues with the election.
County leaders say voting has gone smoothly so far, but the task force stands ready to respond if an incident occurs as the county prioritizes voting safety.
“We have units that are put out in quadrants all across the county,” Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said.
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To ensure everyone has access and the right to vote, a task force command center has been set up to receive concerns related to election operations.
“Everybody’s sitting in one command post in order to address any potential voting irregularity, or voting problem or issue,” Rosen said.
If you’re faced with an issue, you should first address your concerns to the precinct judge, however, an elections security hotline is also available at 713-755-7618 to report any suspicious activity or concerns regarding election operations.
“If they see something untoward, if they’re feeling coerced or some sort of intimidation, then they should report that to us,” Clifford Tatum, the Harris County elections administrator, said.
The task force members include Harris County precincts 1 and 3 constable's offices, Harris County’s Elections Office, District Attorney’s Office, county administrator, and the Harris County Fire Marshal, along with Houston Police Department.
“We know what the response is going to look like so that it’s not an over-response or nor an under-response, so it’s working very well,” Tatum said.
Constable Rosen said you should think twice before trying to cause problems at an election location.
“We’re going to get you, I’m going to do everything I can within my power to ensure that nobody does anything to disrupt our election process,” he said.
Early voting will go until November 4. Election Day is November 8.
There will be plain-clothed officers and patrols in locations in and around voting precincts to ensure there isn’t any nefarious activity.