A Republican official in Texas was caught on video discussing how the GOP should recruit 10,000 Republicans for an “election integrity brigade” in Houston.
The man, who identified as a GOP official in Harris County, can be heard calling for poll watchers to monitor certain parts of the inner city while what appeared to be a virtual laser pointer ran across racially diverse precincts on a map of the county.
HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IF IT DOESN’T CONDEMN TEXAS VOTING LAW
The footage, released by Common Cause Texas, shows the official citing allegations of voter fraud as the reason to have an “army” of volunteers.
The roughly 49-minute video does not show the official who is speaking over a slideshow presentation titled “Election Integrity Brigade Program Overview.”
Today we’re releasing an alarming video of a GOP “Election Integrity Brigade” virtual launch where they detail plans to build an army of poll watchers who will have the “courage” to go into Black and Brown neighborhoods
More: https://t.co/7RTHz9Gjhq#txlege #HB6 #SB7 pic.twitter.com/KEbiRvbNH8
— Common Cause Texas (@CCauseTexas) April 8, 2021
“It’s very clear that we’re talking about: recruiting people from the predominantly Anglo parts of town to go to black and brown neighborhoods,” Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of the government accountability group, told the Washington Post.
The Harris County GOP argued the nonprofit group mischaracterized what the official meant in the video and accused it of trying to “bully and intimidate Republicans.”
“The goal is to activate an army of volunteers for every precinct in Harris County,” Harris County Republican Party Chairwoman Cindy Siegel said. “And to engage voters for the whole ballot, top to bottom, and ensure every legal vote is counted.”
No evidence of election fraud was found in Harris County, according to a multiagency and bipartisan task force. But at least three people were indicted in Harris County in December on allegations of attempting to influence state House contests illegally.
Several GOP-dominated state legislatures are considering changes to the voting process after concerns were raised in the way the 2020 election was conducted. A common argument they have made is to ensure the integrity of the vote, while Democrats argue restrictions are being implemented to suppress the vote, particularly among minorities.
Republican lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are seeking to enact voting changes that would expand the role of poll watchers and limit election officials’ oversight of those volunteers.
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On Thursday, a Texas House committee passed an elections bill that would make it a state felony for local election officials to give an absentee ballot to a voter who did not request one.
The bill will now go to the House Calendars Committee, which will determine whether it can go to the full House for a vote.
