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Harris County leaders are looking to pursue legal action against the State of Texas in response to pieces of legislation they claim are an affront to democracy, according to reports from Houston-based media outlets.
Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee made the announcement on Wednesday after a bill to eliminate the county’s elections head position – Senate Bill (SB) 1750 – was sent to the governor’s office.
The officials also take issue with a measure – SB 1993 – to have the Texas Secretary of State (SOS) restart an election in Texas’ largest county when authorities receive enough complaints.
“Texas lawmakers in Austin are undermining Harris County government and targeting three black Harris County officials … This is more than just bad public policy, it’s bad for our democracy,” Menefee, a Democrat, said in a statement he shared on Twitter.
According to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC, Menefee further asserted the unconstitutionality of SB 1750 and SB 1993.
“Our state’s constitution bars lawmakers from passing laws that target one specific city or county, putting their personal vendettas over what’s best for Texans,” he said. “Republican lawmakers are disregarding the will of Harris County voters.
“But to protect Harris County communities, our public servants and our residents – we’re going to fight,” he added.
Houston Daily reported that SB 1750 garnered approval in both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is presently awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
Per the publication, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), SB 1750’s author, said in a press release that the measure’s purpose is to “restore voter trust, accountability and transparency” in elections conducted by Texas’ largest county.
“An appointed elections administrator that either couldn’t or wouldn’t get millions of sheets of ballot paper from the warehouse to the polls for voters to vote on, on Nov. 8, will be gone by Sept. 1,” Bettencourt said. “Now voters in Harris County can be assured that the officials running their elections are elected and accountable to the public, with expected final passage of SB 1750.”
The senator alluded to one of the alleged problems from last fall’s midterm elections in which numerous GOP-leaning precincts claimed they didn’t have enough ballot paper for voters.
In response to Menefee’s announcement, KPRC reported, Bettencourt issued a statement saying that the election bills are about “performance, not politics.”
SB 1750 requires the election administrator to relinquish all job duties and responsibilities to the elected county clerk and tax assessor-collector.
“Both elected Democrat Harris County officeholders have extensive prior experience in elections and voter registration,” Bettencourt said in the statement. “The intent of the law is clear to return these duties to both of them, not just the county clerk.”