Dems sue registrar over votes for judges (TX)

[struggle4progress]

Source: Houston Chronicle

By ALAN BERNSTEIN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 11, 2008, 10:58PM

... U.S. District Judge Gray Miller was scheduled to consider the complaint against Republican Bettencourt at 10 a.m. today.

Bettencourt, who was re-elected last week as county tax assessor-collector, denied the allegations in general Tuesday. He said he had to withhold specific comments until he read the lawsuit and consulted with outgoing County Attorney Mike Stafford ...

With two judicial races in potential limbo because they were decided by a few hundred votes, the lawsuit focuses on about 7,000 ballots that were cast before and during Election Day but have yet to be verified as ballots that can be added to the totals ...

But, the Democratic officials said in the lawsuit, Bettencourt is providing incorrect information to the board, delaying the counting, refusing to let in observers and has illegally denied voter registrations ...

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6107626.html

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Harris County hits record in total registered voters
By ALAN BERNSTEIN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 20, 2008, 1:30PM
The number of registered voters in Harris County finally has reached a record high, and thousands of registration applications still are being processed. The count of registered voters stands at 1,950,300, about 8,000 more than for the presidential election in 2004, according to Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt, the county voter registrar ... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6068467.html


Dems baffled by low voter turnout in Harris County
Small increase in votes cast on Election Day
By ALAN BERNSTEIN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 5, 2008, 11:51PM
... With national excitement and concern firing up voter interest across the country, more than 730,000 county residents voted early, in person and by mail, in Harris County, leading officials to predict matching enthusiasm for Tuesday's voting. But fewer than 450,000 people voted here on Election Day. Of 1.96 million people eligible to vote, about 40 percent did not ... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6097706.html

[8 track mind]

1. ah yes...

good 'ol Texas politics.

[crispini]

2. This is why the chief elections official should NOT be elected.

Ours isn't; he's answerable to the county commissioner's court. And he is sooooooo nonpartisan and fair, it's crazy. Everyone likes him; he's a good guy.

[Lisa0825]

3. On that first article, I went through and voted on every comment! LOL

The Chronicle has really pissed off conservatives this cycle, because they endorsed a bunch of Dems, including Obama. So the conservatives are having more than their usual field day with comments on articles.

[PDittie]

4. Provisionals being counted right NOW

Results tonight, possibly affecting two judicial races:

In a miniature version of the 2000 Florida vote drama, election officials prepared to work late tonight toward counting the last leftover votes that could switch outcomes in two Harris County judicial elections.

The tedious work lurched forward when county voter registrar Paul Bettencourt delivered his reports on about 7,000 ballots that were cast by people not listed on the Election Day voter rolls. Some of those residents had been omitted from registration records by mistake, and their votes will be added to last week's totals.

Bettencourt's move led Democratic Party officials to drop their request today for a judge to order him to complete the tallies and open his staff's work to monitors. However, Democrats said they will press ahead next year with the part of their lawsuit that accuses Bettencourt, a Republican, of illegally rejecting voter registration applications.

He sent his work on the 7,000 or so provisional ballots to a bipartisan ballot board that will decide which ones will be added to the Nov. 4 vote total. About 1,400 of the 7,000 are expected to qualify for addition to elections for countywide offices, election officials said, in addition to about 400 ballots sent by overseas voters.

If those ballots contain votes on judicial elections, they could reverse the outcome in two contests where fewer than 600 votes separated the winners and losers as of last week.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6108869.html