Current:Home > BackHouston prosecutors find no evidence of efforts to sway 2022 elections but charge a county worker-InfoLens
Houston prosecutors find no evidence of efforts to sway 2022 elections but charge a county worker
View Date:2024-12-23 15:29:39
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An investigation found no evidence of intent to influence 2022 election outcomes in Texas’ largest county, prosecutors announced Tuesday, but they will pursue criminal charges against a county employee who was allegedly working a second job while polls ran out of paper ballots.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s review is one of several to scrutinize Houston’s last midterm elections, when problems at polling places prompted Republican candidates to contest defeats in local races and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to sign a law removing the elections administrator in the county of more than 5 million residents.
Ogg, an elected Democrat, said during a news conference that her office and investigators with the Texas Rangers found no evidence that elections employees intentionally tried to sway the results. But she said the investigation found that the failures of one elections employee — whose job was to make sure polling locations had enough paper ballots — resulted in some voters being unable to cast ballots.
That employee, Darryl Blackburn, was not charged with any election-related crimes. Instead, he faces charges related to improperly claiming hours on his timesheets and filing for paid time off while secretly working a more lucrative outside job, including on Election Day as some polling locations ran out of paper ballots.
The most serious of six charges filed against Blackburn, theft by public servant, carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Blackburn’s attorney said his client is not guilty and slammed the charges as politically driven.
“This case isn’t about the election — it’s about timesheets,” Houston attorney Charles Flood said in a statement. “The Texas Rangers made clear that the evidence shows no intent or attempt to influence the 2022 election, so it seems Ms. Ogg’s only motivation is to try and claim my client as some sort of consolation prize.”
Ogg said the employee’s actions undermined voter confidence.
“It is clearly extremely important to look at these crimes in a nonpartisan way,” Ogg said.
Last year, an audit by the Texas secretary of state’s office also found that race outcomes were not affected by the issues in Houston. But the report did fault county administrators for failures, including insufficient training for elections staff.
After the 2022 elections, Republican lawmakers effectively dismantled Harris County’s elections office and turned the job back over to the county tax assessor and county clerk, which are both elected offices currently held by Democrats.
Harris County has been at the center of battles over voting rights and access in Texas in recent years. Democrats, who have expanded their victories in the county, have attacked new restrictions and state scrutiny over Houston’s elections as politically motivated.
A Texas judge last year denied efforts by losing Republican candidates to overturn election results after the 2022 midterms. But he later ordered a new election in one race that was among the closest. That case remains pending on appeal.
___
Lathan is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Singles' Day vs. Black Friday: Which Has the Best Deals for Smart Shoppers?
- Eminem's Daughter Hailie Jade Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Evan McClintock
- Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2024: What to know about the sales event and preview of deals
- Amazon, Target and other retailers are ramping up hiring for the holiday shopping season
- Lions find way to win, Bears in tough spot: Best (and worst) from NFL Week 10
- Tina Knowles Details Protecting Beyoncé and Solange Knowles During Rise to Fame
- Becky Hammon likens Liberty to Spurs as Aces trail 0-2: 'They feel like something was stolen'
- Jennifer Aniston Addresses the Most Shocking Rumors About Herself—And Some Are True
- Kirk Herbstreit berates LSU fans throwing trash vs Alabama: 'Enough is enough, clowns'
- DPR members talk Dream Reborn tour, performing: 'You realize it's not just about you'
Ranking
- Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting their first child together
- Massachusetts governor puts new gun law into effect immediately
- PFF adds an in-game grading feature to its NFL analysis
- Jax Taylor Shares Conflicting Response on If He and Brittany Cartwright Were Ever Legally Married
- 'Dangerous and unsanitary' conditions at Georgia jail violate Constitution, feds say
- Down 80%: Fidelity says X has plummeted in value since Elon Musk's takeover
- The flood of ghost guns is slowing after regulation. It’s also being challenged in the Supreme Court
- Record October heat expected to last across the Southwest: 'It's not really moving'
Recommendation
-
Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
-
How Love Is Blind’s Nick Really Feels About Leo After Hannah Love Triangle in Season 7
-
'Deadpool and Wolverine' becomes 'best first-day seller' of 2024 with digital release
-
Elections have less impact on your 401(k) than you might think
-
2 more escaped monkeys recaptured and enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in South Carolina
-
Simone Biles’ post-Olympic tour is helping give men’s gymnastics a post-Olympic boost
-
Spam alert: How to spot crooks trying to steal money via email
-
Pete Rose's longtime teammate Tony Perez opens up about last visit with baseball icon