(The Center Square) – Twenty-one Harris County Republican candidates sued over the 2022 general election results, with the first trial beginning August 1. The judges argue because of widespread election administration failures, a new election should be called.
Among them is Alexander Del Moral Mealer, who challenged and lost to incumbent Democratic Judge Lina Hidalgo. Hidalgo announced on August 7 she was taking a leave of absence to seek inpatient care for clinical depression.
Mealer filed a third amended petition with the court last week in her lawsuit against Hidalgo claiming 32,000 “likely illegal ballots” were cast and counted in the 2022 general election in Harris County. These total more than Hidalgo’s margin of victory of 18,183 votes.
Mealer, who first sued in January, alleges that Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum “committed systematic and widespread violations of Texas election law” and the failures that occurred “seriously undermine the reliability of the election and the court’s inability to ascertain the outcome.”
Her amended filing states, “Harris County records indicate that more than 32,000 illegal ballots were counted in violation of Texas law. In addition to paper supply shortages and equipment failures, election records indicate that Harris County counted more than 32,000 ballots that were likely illegal and should not have been included in total vote counts under the Texas Election Code.
“That is almost double Hidalgo’s reported 18,183 vote margin over Mealer. If the evidence shows that the number of illegal votes exceeded Hidalgo’s margin of victory, then the result of the election cannot accurately be known based on voting records and the Court should order a new election.”
The complaint identifies four “likely illegal ballot” categories. They include voters who moved out of Harris County, those with canceled voter registrations, whose registrations were suspended because they hadn’t filled out a “statement of residence” form, and ballots that were mailed without the proper signature verification.
According to U.S. Postal Service’s National Change of Address data, the first category includes roughly 27,000 ballots that shouldn’t have been counted, the complaint states, followed by roughly 2,970, 2,038, and 700 ballots in the other three categories that shouldn’t have been counted. Combined, they total roughly 32,000.
“Systematic and widespread violations of the Texas Election Code make the November 2022 election results unknowable,” the complaint also states.
Mealer also published a website to inform voters about her case.
As previously reported by The Center Square, on Nov. 8, 2022, polling locations in specific areas had delayed openings, equipment malfunctioned, there wasn’t enough ballot paper, among other problems, forcing voters to wait for hours or be turned away, and a judge to extend voting hours to enable people to vote.
Hidalgo has maintained no voter fraud, or “widespread” problems, occurred and that any attempt to overturn the results of the election will disenfranchise those who already voted.
In another lawsuit, Black conservatives recently joined Jim McIngvale Gallery Furniture owner “Mattress Mack” demanding transparency about the election they allege Democratic officials mismanaged. This is after primarily Black residents protested outside of Harris County Commissioner’s Court after the election last November alleging the election had been stolen.
The first of the 21 judges’ trials began August 1: former Republican Judge Erin Lunceford sued after losing her race to Democrat Tamika Craft for the 189th Civil District Court by 2,743 votes. Her attorney, Andy Taylor, also argued a new election should be called.
Taylor argued that those who voted in Lunceford’s race weren’t county residents, officials didn’t follow proper signature verification processes, and ballot scanning malfunctions resulted in some votes being cast more than once. Craft’s attorney, Kevin Haynes, argued Taylor didn’t present a single disenfranchised voter and couldn’t prove his case. Closing arguments occurred August 10.
The presiding judge on all 21 cases, Judge David Peeples, said it may take one month before he issues a ruling on the first case. A conference has been scheduled with the attorneys in the 20 other pending cases for August 14.
