Election process
Regarding “Editorial: Poll workers aren’t scorning poll watchers. They’re schooling them,” (Oct. 30). Thanks to the editorial board for highlighting the positive experience that a Harris County poll worker had in interacting with a state election inspector.
State election inspectors are dedicated public employees who do not interact with voters or the voting process whatsoever.
What do state election inspectors do? Among other things, inspectors check for accessibility at polling places for disabled voters; verify that voters are being properly checked in when they arrive; and — importantly for Harris County — make sure that chain of custody of voting equipment and electronic drives containing ballot records, as well as the use of locks and tamper-evident seals, is documented throughout the election process.
It’s exactly this type of transparency that provides the public with greater confidence that elections are being run in a fair and secure manner, and that any errors that occurred in the past are not repeated, such as when Harris County failed to count 10,000 mail-in ballots in the 2022 primary election.
Election inspectors have been part of Texas’ election process for more than two decades and are routinely sent to Harris County in every election, including at least 13 during the 2020 general election.
We hope all Harris County voters have a positive experience when they go to cast their ballot. Rest assured that you will likely not even notice if an inspector is there.
If you do, I hope you take the time to thank them for their service.
John Scott, Texas secretary of state Regarding “Opinion: Voters, prepare a sample ballot and know your rights,” (Oct. 27): I went with a group of residents from my retirement community to vote at NRG Arena. Some were using walkers, and many had not voted in person in years. They were apprehensive about the new voting machines and all the rumors about difficulties at polling sites. We were greeted by a couple of deputy constables who helped park our bus and direct us inside. The poll workers were very organized and friendly. They provided chairs for our old folks and patiently explained how the machines worked. We all walked out with smiles on our faces and a great sense of relief and satisfaction.
Harris County Elections Administrator Clifford Tatum and his team of thousands of election workers deserve our thanks and praise for making voting a pleasant, safe and easy experience.
Mary Grace Greenwood, Houston