Calhoun County has completed the submission of its primary election results to the state as of Friday morning. This followed the county Republican Party’s failure to meet a state-mandated deadline, which required the early voting and Election Day results to be reported within 24 hours after polls closed. The election was complicated by the Republicans’ choice to manually count their ballots, as confirmed by a county election official.
Mary Ann Orta, the elections administrator for the South Texas county that includes Victoria and Port Lavaca, along with representatives from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, acknowledged that the county GOP did not meet the deadline. In contrast, the Democratic Party in the county, which utilized electronic voting machines for ballot tallying, submitted their results shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday night.
In Texas, the administration of primary elections is determined by local political parties. The Calhoun County Republicans opted for a manual count of ballots, which encompassed those cast during early voting and those from 11 Republican precincts on Election Day, a process known for being labor-intensive.
In a message to Votebeat, Russell Cain, the chair of the Calhoun County GOP, expressed gratitude towards the Calhoun County Elections Office and the Texas Secretary of State for their ongoing support during the hand counting of the primary ballots. He noted the involvement of around one hundred volunteers in this effort and appreciated their commitment and endurance throughout the counting process.
Cain did not provide details regarding the completion of the counting or the specifics surrounding the missed reporting deadline. According to information available on the Texas Secretary of State’s website, a total of 3,153 ballots were cast in the county’s GOP primary.
Failing to submit results by the 24-hour deadline constitutes a class B misdemeanor, which may result in fines up to $2,000 and potential jail time. The Texas Secretary of State’s Office refrained from commenting on the enforcement of the law or the consequences of the party’s deadline oversight. However, Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the agency, indicated that the county party chair and the party’s executive committee may seek a court order to compel the delivery of records and oversee the counting process. Local prosecutors are typically responsible for investigating and prosecuting any election-related offenses or breaches, according to the election code.
Orta reported feeling overwhelmed on Friday morning, as her team had been operating on little sleep since Tuesday, awaiting all necessary information to finalize the results for state submission.
“I’m exhausted and still trying to make heads or tails of everything we’ve got,” Orta stated.
This election cycle also saw Republicans in Gillespie and Eastland counties opting for manual ballot counting. In Gillespie County, the counting was concluded around 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Eastland County election officials reported their totals to the state by approximately 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, having needed a court order to access a secured box that contained ballots, due to a tally form from one precinct being mistakenly locked inside.
In the previous year’s primary, Harris County experienced a similar failure to report results by the state-imposed deadline, attributing the delay to issues with new voting equipment and a lengthy two-page ballot. The county sought a court order to extend the reporting deadline, but no charges were filed against anyone for the misdemeanor. However, the chief election official resigned shortly thereafter amid revelations that thousands of ballots were excluded from the total vote count.
In some instances, county GOP officials have cited the pressures associated with the reporting deadline as factors in their decision against manual counting of ballots.
