Hollins appointed interim county clerk
Lawyer becomes third person to hold post in three years
Christopher Hollins on Monday became the third Harris County clerk in three years, appointed to the post after the incumbent, Diane Trautman, resigned after 17 months because of unspecified health concerns.
He has pledged to hold the job only in an interim role, avoiding the potential distraction of running a campaign this fall. Still, the 33-year-old lawyer faces a difficult task in running the July primary runoff and November general elections — the latter likely to be the highest-turnout contest in county history — during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Hollins said he grasps the scope of the challenge and is up to the task. Though he has no experience in elections administration and has never run for office, he said his background in government consulting will serve him well in his new role.
“Elections already are a really large task under normal circumstances,” he said. “And you add to that the concerns and complications that come with a global pandemic, and we have this massive undertaking ahead of us to make sure all the residents of Harris County are able to vote safely, conveniently, and with the confidence their vote is going to be counted.”
The primary role of the county clerk’s office is to maintain property and vital records, including the issuance of marriage licenses, but the clerk’s most visible job is conducting elections.
Harris County’s sheer size — more than 1,700 square miles — and largest-in-Texas voter roll of 2.4 million long has complicated the task of running elections.
Vote-counting delays during Republican Stan Stanart’s two terms frustrated candidates and residents. Both high-turnout elections overseen by his successor, Diane Trautman, had problems and upset even her fellow Democrats.
Hollins hopes his work experience will help him avoid the same fate. For four years, he worked for global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he focused on helping government agencies become more efficient. He said he could not disclose specific clients, though they were in the police,
“We have this massive undertaking ahead of us to make sure all the residents of Harris County are able to vote safely, conveniently, and with the confidence their vote is going to be counted.” Christopher Hollins
fire, emergency response and immigration sectors.
“I would step into large organizations … learn them inside and out in a short period of time, and help them solve really tough problems, combining best practices, innovation (and) deep analysis of the organization’s data,” he said.
Commissioners Court members said they were impressed with Hollins’ credentials, as well as his commitment not to seek the job permanently.
“I think that McKinsey background will be helpful in getting procedures in place to get through this (elections) process,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said.
Hollins said he would take that outsider’s approach to the clerk role and would retain the office’s senior staff, including Elections Director Michael Winn and Chief Deputy Teneshia Hudspeth.
A key issue for elections during the pandemic is which residents may be permitted to vote by mail. The Texas Elections Code permits all residents 65 and older to request mail ballots, as well as those away from the county during the election period or who claim a disability. Whether a fear of contracting the new coronavirus at a polling place is a disability is unclear.
The state Supreme Court last week ruled lack of immunity to the virus alone would not meet that standard, however, it could be one of several factors that constitute a disability. Trautman in April secured $12 million from Commissioners Court to send a mail ballot to any voter who requests one for the July or November elections.
Hollins said he lacks expertise in Texas election law and will defer to the county attorney on mail voting. Assistant County Attorney Douglas Ray said the county will let voters choose whether they qualify for a mail ballot.
“It’s up to the voter to decide,” Ray said Monday. “We’re not going to require any proof. We’re not going to require any explanation.”
Hollins’ background as a Houston-area native and voter will inform his approach to the job, he said. He was surprised on Primary Day in March to find his regular polling place, the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in the Third Ward, was not in use. He used the county clerk’s online app to find a different place to vote, but said he worried other residents were unable to do the same.
A Houston Chronicle analysis found that Trautman had signed off on a plan to place more than two-thirds of voting machines in
Republican county commissioner precincts, despite accurate predictions that Democratic turnout would be far higher.
Hollins said he supports countywide voting, Trautman’s signature initiative which allows residents to cast ballots anywhere on Election Day. He said he would ensure polling sites are fairly distributed around the county.
Hollins said he will keep his personal injury law firm and remain as vice chairman of finance for the Texas Democratic Party, though he will significantly scale back the time he spends in both roles. He said voters need not be concerned that his role in a political party will impair his ability to run fair elections.
“The duties of the county clerk are not partisan issues whatsoever,” Hollins said.