Harris County votes subject to 24-hour rule have been counted, officials say

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Two days after Election Day, all ballots subject to the 24-hour rule have been counted in Harris County, according to the Elections Administrator’s office.

On Thursday, the counting continued for Harris County, and it was the only county in Texas that had yet turned in election results.

The count took so long that Harris County officials had to go to court to request it on multiple occasions. Now, Harris County Republican leaders are accusing the Elections Administrator’s office of disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters.

Thursday afternoon, those with the Election Administrator’s office said there were still 800 ballots left to be counted. By almost 10 p.m., the Elections Administration’s Office said the votes subjected to the 24-hour rule were counted, and a report was sent to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Election Day in Harris County had several delays, with voting machines breaking and polling places running out of paper in some locations.

“You all deserve something better,” Cindy Siegel, the Harris County GOP chair, said. “This is a basic right that we should all have and should be able to rely upon.”

When asked for a response, the Elections Administrations Office sent the following statement:

“We are currently focused on completing the canvassing process. Once complete, we will turn our attention to a post-election assessment and report.”

An unofficial report has been posted to the Harris Votes’ website.