A Harris County elected official in charge of voter registration and who maintains record for over 2.5 million voters has not swiped into her office for around four years.
According to county records reviewed by the Houston Chronicle, Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett, last accessed her office building in late 2020. In addition, she missed several key public appearances such as Commissioners Court meetings and budget meetings.
In addition, Bennett has only sent 18 emails from her work account so far this year, excluding emails approving staff time-off requests.
Bennett, a Democrat, was first elected in 2017 and is not seeking re-election in November. Her position oversees voter registrations, collecting billions of dollars in property taxes and processing vehicle registrations.
The Chronicle reported that Bennett swiped into her office 92 times in 2019, and then seven times in 2020. Her last entry is in October of 2020.
Her lack of public appearances have sparked questions about what she has been doing since she was reelected in 2020.
“You, as a public elected official, are the face (of the office), and so you’ve got to show up. You’ve got to make sure that we are being transparent, communicating with the public…That’s the job,” Annette Ramirez, the Democratic candidate running for the next tax assessor-collector said. She added she would go to work every day if elected.
However the Republican candidate in the race said every manager has a different style, and that he has seen other government officials who do not always show up to work.
Bennett’s tenure has been marred by notable blunders, such as suspending over 1,700 voter registrations by mistake. Her office argued the mistake was due to a software error. However, this mistake resulted in incorrect ballots being issued in Baytown, and those who already cast their votes were not allowed to vote again.
While Bennett is mostly absent, it is true that she is still working in her position. Earlier this month she released a statement saying three former Harris County Tax Office employees have been indicted for accepting bribes.
“All Harris County residents should be assured that the Tax Office maintains a high level of internal controls and procedures to guarantee that all transactions are conducted in accordance with all state laws,” Bennett said in a statement. “I remain proud of my staff and am grateful to those who discovered the crimes committed by these individuals, ultimately upholding the public’s trust in everything we do.”
