Liberty County leaders express concern over mail-in ballot: 'We want everyone's vote counted'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas presidential primaries are a week away, and Liberty County leaders confirm they're experiencing some mail-in ballot delays. This comes on the heels of weekslong issues ABC13 has reported on about the delays caused by USPS.

Liberty leaders said they want everyone's votes counted but are concerned after seeing some mail-in ballots taking two weeks to be delivered. So they're asking people at home who may be worried their ballots won't come in on time to bring them in person to the election offices on Election Day or do curbside early voting.

More than 100 mail-in ballots have now made it to Liberty County election offices, but leaders say not without some delay.

A voter who didn't want to go on camera expressed their mail-in ballot hadn't been received by the county offices in Liberty.

The county clerk confirmed to ABC13 that out of the 171 mail-in ballots sent out, 115 have been received within six days of Election Day.

"It has taken longer than normal to get some of the mail-in ballots processed this time around," County Clerk for Liberty County Lee Haidusek Chambers said, adding that mail delivery issues have been what she calls hit or miss, with some taking two weeks to arrive.

Another problem they noticed was inconsistencies in deliveries when mail-in ballots were first sent out, like one person in a home receiving theirs and another in the same home who didn't.

"We want everyone's vote counted, and we want everyone's vote in, so we're worried, but we know that they're (the post office) working on it," Haidusek Chambers said.

In a news conference last week, elected officials said USPS vowed there would be no problems for the election.

"Directly related to mail where it is about early voting or a ballot, they see no delays that would be there." U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas' 17th District, said.

Haidusek Chambers says she has been in talks with post office officials. She says voters can call their election office to ensure their mail-in ballots have been received.

If they haven't, she says they have contacts at the post office, and there are people who can help track those ballots to try to get them in on time.

USPS says they are looking into the matter and told ABC13 they'll get back with answers.

As for other counties like Harris, Eyewitness News was told they haven't had issues reported.

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