HOUSTON (AP) — A Democrat who is the top official in Texas' largest county on Thursday acknowledged problems around Houston on Election Day that included paper ballot shortages and delayed openings of polling locations, but waved off an unfolding investigation by state police as political.
Malfunctioning machines and long lines were also reported last week at some of the nearly 800 polling locations in Harris County, which is home to nearly 5 million people and has previously been at the center of clashes in Texas over elections. Some voting rights groups have expressed concern the investigation could be used by the GOP to justify additional voting restrictions.
State election officials have said they heard of no widespread voting problems in Texas, where Republicans resoundingly won every statewide office and turnout was lower than in the 2018 midterms.
