Inconsistent Data, Insufficient Ballots in Largest Texas County’s 2022 Election: State Auditors

Harris County’s voter registration system listed over 9,000 more voters than the statewide system.

Voters cast their ballots during the Democratic presidential primary in Houston on March 3, 2020. Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

A preliminary report by the Texas Secretary of State’s office has identified “multiple failures” during last year’s elections in Harris County, the nation’s third-most populous county, but it didn’t suggest whether the outcome of any race was affected.

The Oct. 19 report—released days before early voting begins across Texas for the Nov. 7 election—confirmed that the ballot paper distributions for Election Day in 2022 didn’t comply with requirements outlined in the state election law and could have prevented many Harris County voters from casting a ballot.