Texas GOP Wants Power to Nullify Elections in Houston Metro Over Ballot Paper
MULLIGAN
Tuesday’s vote in the state Senate sparked ire from Democrats, who said their colleagues were trying to “rig results” and overturn lawfully held elections.
The Texas Senate approved a measure Tuesday that would give the secretary of state unprecedented power to nullify election results—but only in Harris County, which encompasses the Houston metropolitan area. The bill would give the governor-appointed position the power to call an entirely new election there should local officials ever run out of ballot paper (at 2% of its polling sites for more than an hour, to be specific). The decision to target Harris County specifically comes after authorities there ran out of ballot paper at some polling sites last year, prompting Republicans to cry foul. Tuesday’s vote sparked ire from Democrats in the chamber, who said Republicans were trying to “rig results” and overturn lawfully held elections. The bill now heads to the state’s GOP-controlled House for a vote.
