Photo: Tetra images RF
Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has announced an investigation into Harris County for allowing some voters to register using a P.O. box as their residential address—a practice that has been prohibited by state law for several years.
One of the key architects of that law is now speaking out against Harris County’s failure to enforce it. State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-SD7) said, “It’s preposterous that the Harris County Voter Registrar can’t implement the law. That bill was passed four years ago!”
Bettencourt’s formal complaint—citing the county’s ample time to comply—is what triggered Secretary Nelson’s investigation. He warned that continued noncompliance could carry serious consequences.
“The Secretary of State could take over the voter registration process for Harris County and even recommend the removal of an officeholder,” Bettencourt explained. “This is a tough law.”
He added that he personally visited two different UPS stores in Harris County where voters had registered using P.O. boxes and estimated that as many as 3,000 voters could be illegally registered this way. Bettencourt noted that even a fraction of that number—say 1,500 votes—could dramatically affect local elections that are often decided by just a few hundred ballots.