Texas’ 2020 Election Audit Praised by Gov. Abbott, beaten by Dallas judge

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas Office of the Secretary of State on Tuesday provided additional particulars in regards to the “full forensic audit” of the 2020 election unexpectedly launched closing week.

On the request of former President Donald Trump, Governor Greg Abbott urged the Secretary of State’s office to conduct an election audit in 4 of Texas’ largest counties, Harris, Travis, Tarrant and Collin. The rationale why these provinces have been chosen continues to be unclear.

Governor Greg Abbott told Chris Wallace on Fox Info Sunday that audits in several industries and sectors are generally carried out, so he doesn’t understand the fuss over an election audit.

“Donald Trump has obtained the state of Texas. Everyone knows that regardless of the closing results of these audits, Donald Trump will nonetheless have obtained the state of Texas,” Abbott knowledgeable Fox Info.

That will reaffirm what the Texas Secretary of State’s office talked about earlier, declaring that the 2020 election was “straightforward and safe.”

The state will conduct its private audit fairly than lease a personal contractor. That’s fully totally different from states like Arizona, which has been criticized for using the floor group “Cyber ​​Ninjas” for a months-long audit that showed there was no widespread fraud, thus reaffirming the state’s victory by President Joe Biden.

Dallas County Determine Clay Jenkins talked about the audit is yielding to a loud minority nonetheless could have lasting opposed penalties.

“There isn’t a such factor as a benefit, nonetheless it’s part of a wider plan to undermine democracy. A major tenet of democracy is that people ought to contemplate in free and sincere elections, and that people knowingly undermine democracy by questioning free and sincere elections… it erodes of us’s perception in our American democracy,” he talked about. Jenkins.

Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, despatched a letter, signed by 24 totally different House Democrats, asking Governor Abbott to not conduct the election audit.

“We’re concerned in regards to the misuse of state property and a highlight at a time after we face a variety of crises,” the letter talked about.

The lawmakers significantly criticized the directive coming from a deputy director, provided that there’s presently no secretary of state in Texas.

“The Cabinet of the State Secretary has launched that it has the authority to conduct these audits. Nonetheless it has not acknowledged the availability of this authority. The model new laws launched by SB 1 – the wonderful election bill handed inside the second explicit legislative session – permits the secretary to “immediately” conduct an audit in 4 provinces after an election. It has been ten months as a result of the November election, so this audit shouldn’t be lined by that provision,” the letter reads.

Goodwin moreover knowledgeable Nexstar that they’ve requested and obtained no estimate of how lots these audits will worth taxpayers.

Part certainly one of many audit will verify voting machines and look for “non-eligible” voters. Part two, which isn’t anticipated to occur until subsequent yr, will embody an archival search.