Ex-Harris County worker punished for allegedly falsifying timecard during 2022 election

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Darryl Blackburn, a data analyst who worked in the elections administrator's office and was accused of falsifying timecards, accepted a plea deal on Monday.

Blackburn was placed on a six-month pre-trial intervention program. This offers individuals charged with non-violent crimes an opportunity to avoid a criminal conviction and its consequences by completing specific requirements and successfully participating in the program.

He is required to pay $20,000 in restitution, report to the probation department periodically, and complete eight hours of community service.

According to the district attorney's office, his case will be dismissed on Oct. 7, 2025, if he successfully completes the PTI.

In August 2024, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and the Texas Rangers announced criminal charges that they say were related to the November 2022 election.

Investigators say Blackburn worked a second full-time job for 15 months, earning thousands of dollars while reportedly failing to fulfill his duties as a county employee.

The election official was charged with theft and five counts of tampering with government documents.

According to ABC13's news partners at the Houston Chronicle, this is the result of a Texas Rangers investigation into the November 2022 Harris County Election prompted by state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott.

The 2022 election came under scrutiny for its handling and being fraught with issues.

Some of the problems occurred during early voting.

The Harris County Elections Administration released a 54-page report a month after the midterm elections, outlining what happened during early voting, Election Day and after Election Day.

The report stated problems ranged from error messages on machines and paper jams causing issues with ballots to blaming the United States Postal Service for mail-in ballot problems.

A lack of supplies was also said to be an issue, with 68 Election Day voting locations running out of paper. Sixty-one received additional deliveries.

Back in August, Ogg said there was no evidence that Blackburn was trying to interfere with the election. She said his role on Election Day was to allocate the paper that would go to polling places.

"We know this was a failure," Oggs said about the worker's alleged crime. "The result is that he didn't do his job for Harris County. Can't do two full-time jobs and give them the credit and the attention that they need."

Texas Rangers found the time card fraud while investigating complaints into the 2022 election.

In 2023, lawsuits were filed challenging the election results.

An audit from the Texas Secretary of State's Office also found "multiple failures" could have prevented some voters from casting a ballot, but it stopped short of saying any race's outcome was affected.

Following the election, state legislators passed a bill to get rid of the appointed county elections administrator. The county clerk is now in charge.