Harris County Elections Administrator says there could be delays in primary election results

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The Harris County Elections Administrator said we can expect delays in ballot counting on the May 24 primary election.

Isabel Longoria, who has resigned and remains in place only until July 1, is blaming the county's Republican Party for the delays.

The Harris County GOP party has not yet responded to our questions.

"At the last minute, we're seeing from the Republican Party, changing the rules of the games," Longoria said. "Throwing their hands up, and saying, 'We created the mess but now you have to clean it up.'"

Harris County officials have asked county staffers to volunteer to be deputized so they can help collect election equipment, saying the system sped up the process when it was used in the last election, on May 7.

But, now, Longoria says Republican leaders have asked election judges to do it themselves, going against the county plan.

SEE ALSO: Texas' primary runoff election 2022: What to know ahead of Election Day on May 24

"Instead of processing 260 vehicles, now we have to process 520 vehicles," she said. "It's forced us (to move) from our secure emergency technology center almost overnight to the NRG arena complex in order so that we have space to process all this."

She has sent a letter to Republican election judges, asking them to ignore GOP Party recommendations. Longoria said about 40 election judges have agreed to go along with the county plan. She said there will be delays counting Tuesday's results, but blames politics.

"We're learning and tweaking and making sure it's better and more efficient," she said.

When asked why she resigned from her position, then, Longoria said, "Quite honestly, I understand that after March 1, it's the politics that got involved in elections again. I understood that at some point that the buck stops with me, that the county commissioners wanted my head to roll and that's my job."

"It's increasingly important in our polarized political system that the election administrator be both neutral but also competent," said Rice University professor Mark Jones. "Because every time we have errors, people are going to assume the worst."

Less than five days from the election, and concerns are growing.

"Harris County may end up determining who wins or who loses and we may not find that out until at the earliest maybe Wednesday morning," Jones explained. "It could be late in the day on Wednesday if we have levels of problems like in the past."

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