Although early voting results are usually announced at the end of voting on election day, Harris County will not be able to provide any results until 10:30 in the evening. The final statistical results were not fully reported until 8:30 am on Wednesday, although other large Texas counties and even other entire states provided unofficial results to the public shortly after midnight.

Late on Tuesday night, the county election department wrote in a social media post that they "have some power issues with central vote counting", which would delay the results.

Speaking of the World Series held that night, they continued, "Watch the game, and then catch up with us to see the results of the election. Go to Stross!!!"

According to the staff of the central vote-counting department, work was interrupted on Tuesday afternoon due to power fluctuations, and the election department did not have a fully charged backup battery. As a result, the need for "logic and accuracy" (L&A) testing of computer equipment before processing votes cast by early and absent voters has been delayed for a long time.

Although the required tests usually take several hours, the L&A test conducted by the election department in September took more than 9 days to complete, prompting calls for re-employment of experienced elections who were fired after the county transitioned to election administrators staff member.

As the election judge went to NRG Park to transport equipment and ballots, other problems arose after the voting ended. In previous years, drop-off points were located in several places in this huge county, but now the election department requires all 700 districts to deliver materials to NRG in Houston. 

"After 18 hours as an election judge, I had to wait in the car for two hours to get off," election judge Robert Choate told the Texans.

Shortly after 5 a.m. on Wednesday, election administrator Isabel Longoria said on Twitter that she was waiting for the school administrator to wake up to open a school supply cabinet that allegedly contained a missing ballot box. 

After receiving all election day ballots, the staff scrambled to complete the basic work, then packed all the equipment and moved the rented NRG facility by 11:59 on Wednesday morning. The remaining processing work will be carried out on the county property.

County Commissioner Adrian Garcia (D-Pct. 2) wrote on social media that “not getting results in time is unfair to voters and candidates”, but said that he expected these problems to be “one-off failures” and then complained to the county. The election has a bad reputation because the former Republican County Secretary Stan Steinart stepped down in 2018.  

Judges on election day also expressed disappointment at equipment failures and lack of training for election staff. 

According to an email from Cindy Siegel, chairman of the Harris County Republican Party (HPRC), although the parties have to recruit and elect judges and staff, "training is limited or nonexistent."  

"We have repeatedly requested the use of new machines in order to train our election staff. We were not allowed to enter and use [the machine] to make videos on how to use it until early voting," Siegel wrote. 

"Interestingly, on the same day we were granted access, [Harris County Democrats] released a professionally produced video that showed new and old equipment and how to use them."

The HCRP noted that lack of training may be a factor in multiple election judges leaving full paper ballots, electronic ballot records, or both at polling stations on Tuesday night, creating chain-of-custody issues.

On Wednesday, Texas Secretary of State John Scott issued a statement saying that his office is working to ensure the integrity of the vote counting process for the November 2 election in Harris County.

"The Secretary of State's Office will work hard to ensure that all ballots are properly processed and effectively counted."

Multiple sites reported equipment problems, and election judge Rolando Garcia stated that after two technicians resolved the equipment malfunction, he could not handle any voters at his polling station until 10:15 in the morning.

The county is also facing staffing issues. On the Monday before the election, Longoria issued an urgent request to the local Democrats and Republicans to find candidates for election judges in 30 locations, and pointed out that she would modify the usual requirements. Including those used for training. 

By Tuesday morning on election day, Longoria informed the parties that the six polling stations would not be open due to lack of staff.

Under the previous county organization, two elected officials—county clerk and tax assessor-voter registrar—manage all aspects of elections in the state’s most populous county. 

However, last year, despite the opposition of the two parties, Harris County commissioners established the Office of the Electoral Administrator with a 3 to 2 vote, with a basic annual salary of US$190,00. 

Before the vote, Commissioner Rodney Ellis (D-Pct. 1) thought, “It’s better to have an office where, for 12 months, every day of the year will focus on'what can we do To make this election process go smoothly? As seamless as possible [as much as possible]?'"

After this week’s election, Commissioner Jack Cagle (R-Pct. 4) stated that it is best to restore the county’s previous election management model.

"We have an unelected bureaucrat who was appointed by three commissioners' court members. He is not accountable to the public," Cargel said.

 Ellis also vowed last year that "a neutral, non-partisan administrator will increase the integrity of the election and increase voters' trust in the process."

A recruitment committee consisting of county judge Lina Hidalgo (D), county party chairperson, tax assessor and voter registrar Ann Harris Bennet (D), and interim county secretary Chris Hollins selected Isabel Longoria, a former state senator Sylvia Garcia The staff (D-Houston) has no experience in election work. Both Bennet and Keith Nielsen, then HCRP chairman, opposed the appointment.

Longoria’s election department hired former Ellis campaign staffer Tyler James as chief of staff and former Texas civil rights project staffer Beth Stevens as director of operations.

Under the management of Longoria, the county opened 16 drive-thru polling stations this year and held the first ever polling station in the county jail. According to reports, nearly 100 votes were cast. Starting in December 2021, state laws will no longer allow drive-through voting.

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Holly Hansen is a freelance writer living in Harris County. Her previous column "All In Perspective" was published in Georgetown Advocates, Jarrell Star Ledger and Hill Country News, and she has contributed to various digital media in Texas. She graduated with honors from the University of Central Florida with a degree in history. In addition to writing about politics and policy, she also wrote about faith and culture.

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