HOUSTON — Today, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg and the Texas Rangers announced the indictment of Darryl Blackburn on six felony charges. Mr. Blackburn worked for the Harris County Election Administrator’s Office under former Administrators Isabel Longoria and Clifford Tatum and was responsible for the allocation of ballot paper.
Harris County GOP Chairman Cindy Siegel issued the following statement.
“I am not surprised that this was uncovered by the Texas Rangers in their investigation of the 2022 General Election. That election was a complete debacle from voting machines not working to the large number of polling locations that ran out of paper – the majority of which were in Republican neighborhoods. Republican voters were disenfranchised and their belief in a fair and secure election process was destroyed by the corruption that was pervasive in the Harris County Election Administrator’s Office.
“County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the Democrat- controlled Commissioner Court ignored what was the worst run election in Harris County history. Ultimately, Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia are the ones responsible for what occurred in 2022 and should be held accountable.
“In 2022, Democrats called Harris County Republican voters and candidates “election deniers.” Furthermore, the County wasted taxpayer dollars fighting in the courts legislation that Senator Bettencourt sponsored that eliminated the Election Administrator position and returned the running of elections to the duly-elected County Clerk.
“County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth has over the last year worked to resolve several of the serious problems that existed under the former election administrators. However, restoring the voters’ faith (particularly Republicans) will take time and effort. Until that time the Harris County Republican Party will continue to take what steps are necessary with trained election workers, poll watchers and legal team in place to ensure that the ballots cast are secure every step of the process and accurately recorded, said Siegel.
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