HOUSTON — The Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to give the county attorney the green light to sue the state of Texas over two election bills.
Both bills target elections in Harris County alone and were passed by state lawmakers this year. However, the county attorney cannot take legal action until Gov. Greg Abbott signs the bills into law.
As of Tuesday afternoon, those bills have not yet been signed.
The two bills in question are Senate Bills 1750 and 1933.
SB 1750 would eliminate the appointed election administrator position and transfer duties back to the two elected county leaders that previously handled them.
SB 1933 gives the Texas Secretary of State the authority to investigate election “irregularities” if complaints are filed.
Pct. 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey was the only one to vote against allowing the county attorney to file a lawsuit.
The vote followed 45 minutes of discussions behind closed doors and two speakers who spoke against the lawsuit.
It followed 45 minutes of discussions behind closed doors and two speakers who spoke against the lawsuit.
“This needs to be something that elected officials, whether they’re a Democrat or a Republican or an independent, they are the ones that are to be held accountable and responsible for the management of elections," one of the speakers said.
“This has been a big saga of the state deciding that they don’t like the way Harris County residents vote, and so instead, they’re going to take control of the elections apparatus," County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.
County Attorney Christian Menefee told KHOU 11 last month the Texas Constitution does not let state lawmakers pass a bill targeting just one city or county.
The bills’ author, Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston, said the bills provide oversight for any future election problems.
If the bills become law, the changes would take effect just weeks before early voting starts in the 2023 November Election.
An elections official told KHOU 11 that discussions are already happening to prepare for that possibility.