Harris County faces scrutiny for voter rolls linked to post office box addresses

Harris County election officials are facing new scrutiny after a state lawmaker accused the county of allowing voters to register using post office boxes and commercial storefronts, a practice prohibited under a 2021 state law. The allegation could lead to serious consequences, including the potential loss of state funding for voter registration operations and possible state intervention in local election administration.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston notified Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez that his office had identified dozens of voter registrations listing UPS Store locations as residential addresses. His staff found 65 registrations tied to a Westheimer Road mailing center and another 59 to a Waugh Drive location. Bettencourt indicated that these were the only two sites his office reviewed and suggested that additional problematic registrations may exist elsewhere in the county.

The letter, also sent to the Texas Secretary of State’s Elections Division, initiates a formal process under state election law. Senate Bill 1113, enacted in 2021, allows the Secretary of State to withhold funding if county officials fail to remove ineligible voters from the rolls. A separate measure passed in 2023, Senate Bill 1933, created a civil administrative review mechanism enabling candidates and certain elected and party officials to submit complaints that can trigger state audits or even the appointment of a conservator to take over county election functions.

Ramirez has 30 days to respond to the complaint. If she cannot demonstrate compliance with voter roll maintenance requirements, the Secretary of State may order a formal audit. Continued noncompliance could result in escalating sanctions, including possible removal of the registrar from office. While Ramirez did not publicly comment, she has reportedly indicated to Bettencourt’s office that she intends to follow the state’s procedures.

The dispute breaks amid a broader legal challenge to Harris County’s handling of voter registrations. On the same day Bettencourt notified county and state officials of his findings, more than three dozen state lawmakers and several statewide and local officials filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit questioning the accuracy of Harris County’s voter rolls.

That suit, filed in October 2024 by conservative activist Steven Hotze, alleges that the county’s active registrations include individuals using post office boxes, commercial storefronts, or vacant lots as home addresses, along with voters who have moved away or died. It also claims that large clusters of unrelated individuals are registered at single residential addresses. After a lower court allowed the case to proceed, the county appealed, arguing that the candidates named in the complaint lack standing to sue.

The newly filed amicus brief comes from a coalition of Republican state representatives and statewide officials, including the Texas General Land Commissioner and a member of the Texas Railroad Commission, along with several local officeholders and party leaders. Although he did not sign the brief, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn issued a statement supporting the lawsuit and underscoring the requirement under federal law that states maintain accurate voter registration rolls. He also pointed to a recent finding that hundreds of noncitizens may appear on the county’s registration list, which he said underscored concerns about the integrity of the system.

Federal law requires states to complete voter roll cleanups at least 90 days before any federal election. Harris County currently has nearly 2.7 million registered voters, and recent local races have demonstrated how small margins can influence outcomes. In 2022, Republican judicial candidate Tami Pierce challenged her narrow, 449-vote loss through an election contest. Although she initially prevailed in court, the appeal was unresolved until the incumbent judge resigned this year, allowing the governor to appoint her to the position.

The latest challenge to Harris County’s voter registration practices adds another layer to ongoing disputes between Republican state officials and the Democratic-leaning county over how elections are managed. If state officials determine that the county has violated election laws, the case could test the extent of the Secretary of State’s expanded oversight powers passed in recent legislative sessions.