State senator calls for elections administrator to resign after 10K mail-in ballots mischaracterized

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- There are calls for the Harris County elections administrator to resign after the discovery of 10,000 mail-in ballots that were not properly uploaded into the voting system on election night.

County officials say the discovery of the mischaracterized votes is a sign that the checks and balances are working. However, the political parties see things a bit differently.

Over the weekend, Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria's office said that 10,000 mail-in ballots were not added to the unofficial count on Primary Election night.

READ MORE: 10K mail-in ballots not added into Harris County's election night count, officials say

According to Longoria, 6,000 of those votes were cast by Democrats, and 4,000 were from Republican voters.

County election officials said the oversight happened between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning, "as the political parties that make up the Central County Committee were reviewing the ballots."

Longoria's office added that while the votes were scanned into the tabulation computer, they were not transferred and counted as part of the unofficial final results.

The votes will be added to the total before the election is certified, and election officials say this is an example of the review process working.

However, one Republican state senator who spoke with ABC13 said Longoria should resign over this, adding the mischaracterized votes could easily change the winners in at least two races.

"This isn't trivial, because the election administrator was swearing in front of a judge that she had counted all the votes. and then all of a sudden over the weekend, here comes 10,000 more," State Senator Paul Bettencourt said.

Officials with the Harris County Democratic Party told ABC13 in a statement, "We must rectify this mistake immediately, understanding the urgency of ensuring every vote is counted and voice is heard. We expect action to be taken quickly. Voters should know the Harris County Democratic Party is actively monitoring the situation."

The next step is to find out why this happened, and elections officials say they are doing just that. Officials say they have contacted the Secretary of State's Office.

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