Recount pending in Houston City Council election
The recount was requested by a write-in candidate who cited irregularities in official election documents.
PALMER – A write-in candidate for Houston City Council is requesting a recount of Tuesday's election results, citing missing and conflicting numbers in documents submitted by election officials.
Callie Courtney, a write-in candidate for Seat G, filed the recount request Monday ahead of a special city council meeting scheduled to certify the election results. Courtney lost the race to incumbent Laurie Faubert. The final tally was 133-131.
Under Houston city law, election recount requests are investigated by the city clerk and city attorney, who submit a recommendation to the City Council on whether to conduct a new count or certify the results.
The council makes the final decision on the next steps in a recount, according to law. The law does not include a timeline for that process. The council's next meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
Courtney said she requested the recount because of irregularities in official election documents posted on the city of Houston's website, including a final certification document prepared after the count was completed late Friday.
“If you look at that closely, there are whole numbers missing from the top line, there is a signature missing,” she said during a special city council meeting Monday. “That form is supposed to be filled out by the certified election officials, and I have questions to believe that it was not.”
Courtney also said there is a lack of transparency regarding the registration status of one voter and why a collection of questioned and damaged ballots were not counted.
“So you can see why there’s so much confusion when the numbers don’t really jibe, and there are numbers missing,” she said.
The contest for Seat G was not the only race with a close count. Results published Tuesday, which did not include early or absentee ballots, showed challenger Wayne Oliver leading incumbent Council member and Mayor Carter Cole 92-91 for Seat C. That count was updated Friday to reflect a decisive 154-116 Cole win. In a third race, Kent Mitchell, the incumbent for Seat D, defeated write-in candidates 179-73.
The council unanimously approved a motion to delay certification until the recount request could be processed.
“This is part of the transparency and part of the process, and we’re following that,” said Seat E Council member David Childs. “I know that what we’re doing tonight in postponing this is the proper thing to do to allow for that transparency and allow for that investigation to take place.”
— Contact Amy Bushatz at abushatz@matsusentinel.com.
