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Harris County DA Kim Ogg Finds No Election Fraud After Nearly Two-Year, $700K Investigation

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg conducted an almost two-year long investigation on election rigging. In August, she announced the investigation found no evidence of fraud despite knowing the results in the first year of investigation.

Ogg’s investigation followed Republican’s allegations that there was election rigging in the November 2022 midterm elections in Harris County linked to a shortage of paper in polling locations. According to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle, for 21 investigated claims that Harris County election officials intentionally withheld ballot paper to disadvantage Republican voters.

Despite conducting interviews with over a dozen witnesses and scrutinizing election records, the investigation found no suspects or criminal intent. In fact, The Chronicle suggests that according to some interviews, Ogg’s office was likely aware of the lack of evidence for over a year.

Court records reviewed by the Chronicle show that by the fall of 2023, the Texas Ranger who led the investigation had no suspect and no evidence of such crimes. The District Attorney’s office was likely investigating over a year following no leads. This made the investigation reach an estimated $700,000 in legal fees for election workers. The county will pay for the investigation with taxpayer funds.

The investigation, however, brought charges against former election worker Darryl Blackburn, but these charges weren’t’ related to election interference, but rather from unrelated allegations of falsifying timesheets and holding a second private-sector job during his time with the county.

Over the several months that Ogg’s office was focused on the Republicans allegations, several critics claimed the probe was aimed at appeasing political pressures at the expense of Harris County’s election integrity. In addition, critics argued that Ogg, a Democrat who lost her primary, was continuing a pattern of targeting fellow Democrats with whom she disagrees.

The investigation was ongoing, numerous lawsuits were filed challenging the elections results. Despite these lawsuits, no race was repeated. In addition, state lawmakers also abolished the office in charge of administering local elections, leaving the task to two officials.

Ultimately, the investigation revealed significant issues with Harris County’s election day logistics rather than criminal activity. According to county reports, the ballot paper shortages stemmed from an overestimation of uniform paper needs across all voting centers, compounded by a lack of real-time tracking to resolve shortages quickly. In the absence of timely communication from local election officials, state leaders including Texas Governor Greg Abbott amplified concerns over election interference.

“Harris County District Attorney, Texas Rangers to announce corruption charges related to 2022 election,” Abbott wrote on X, following Ogg’s comments that her office would be “announcing criminal corruption charges stemming from the Texas Rangers investigation into November 2022 Harris County elections.”

When Ogg announced results, she said Blackburn’s actions negatively impacted voters.

“He stole individuals’ right to vote, a basic constitutional right in our democracy, because people on both sides were delayed in their voting, halted in their voting, rerouted in their voting,” she said.

RA Staff
RA Staff
Written by RA News staff.

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