HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Next week, Harris County will be forced to change how it runs elections.
The Texas Supreme Court recently denied the county's request to temporarily block a new state law that eliminated the Elections Administration Office. They wanted the law's Sept. 1 effective date to be pushed back to avoid disrupting the November election. The next hearing in the ongoing lawsuit won't be held until after voting is done.
For nearly three years, an appointed elections administrator has been running elections in the state's largest county. Now, those duties will go back to elected officials.
"I’m incredibly disappointed," Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said.
Menefee sued the state over Senate Bill 1750, which eliminates the administrator position in Texas counties with more than 3.5 million people. Only Harris County qualifies and Menefee said the state constitution doesn't allow laws to target one city or county.
"To be clear, this is exactly what Republican legislators wanted to do. They wanted to put us in this tough situation of having to flip an office really quickly on the eve of an election," Menefee said.
Republican Sen. Paul Bettencourt, of Houston, said he filed the bills after seeing problems during Harris County elections under two elections administrators. Those included malfunctioning voting machines and paper ballot shortages.
He accused the county of wasting time with the legal challenge.
"This bill has always been about performance, not politics. I commend the Texas Supreme Court on their decision to restore voter trust, accountability, and transparency in Harris County elections," Bettencourt said.
For the upcoming election, Harris County Tax Assessor Collector Ann Harris Bennett is expected to handle voting registration while County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth is expected to handle election administration. Both have prior experience with those duties and both released statements vowing to work toward a smooth experience for voters.
"The county’s already been operating on parallel tracks. We had both the lawsuit and transition meetings going on behind the scenes between the tax assessor collector’s office, the county clerk’s office, the elections administrator’s office and the county administrator’s office," Menefee said.
Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum said he’ll keep following the county attorney’s legal advice and preparing for November’s election until told to do otherwise.
On Tuesday, Harris County Commissioners Court will discuss the transition and vote to formalize it. The next hearing in the legal fight over the new law is Nov. 28.
Statements
Tatum's statement
"We defer to the county attorney and will follow the legal guidance provided and continue preparing for the November 2023 election until advised to do otherwise."
Hudspeth's Statement
“As an individual, I have mixed feelings about enacted laws that present unwarranted complications to election administrators and voters alike. Still, whether I agree with a law or not, I have taken an Oath to abide by the law as an elected official.
"My duty as Chief Election Official is to conduct elections with a non-partisan spirit, provide ALL voters with the information, materials, and assistance needed to vote, and work to strengthen voters’ confidence in our election process. My priority is to strategically assess the current election administrative practices, evaluate the performance of the new election equipment, get a clear understanding of what ails the voting and election infrastructure, address it, and move us forward to a better place.
"As an experienced former election official familiar with the demanding work of running elections, I am confident Harris County can administer well-organized, transparent, fair elections. There is no magic formula to remedy what has gone awry in the last three years since the conduct of elections was removed from the County Clerk’s Office. There is only plenty of work ahead for all of us, and a great commitment on my part to enable all eligible voters the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.”
Bennett’s statement
“Now that the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that SB 1750 passed during the 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature will stand, it is my sworn duty as an elected official to abide by the new law and prepare my office for the return of voter registration duties on September 1, 2023. As the Harris County Voter Registrar, it is my duty to register all eligible unregistered voters and maintain an accurate voter roll in time for all elections conducted in Harris County. I also provide information, materials, training, and assistance to all voters and organizations to ensure everyone eligible is registered to vote.
"Additionally, my office serves our diverse community by offering voter registration services and training in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. We are here to help everyone. My staff and I are experienced in registering eligible voters and managing a large and accurate voter roll. Current and future voters should have confidence that our work on the voter roll will be a top priority once the transition is complete. We are committed to providing the excellent work for which we are known so that eligible voters will have no problems making their voice heard in the voting booth.”