Texas, Spurred By Trump, Announces Election Audit in 4 Counties

Politics|Texas, nether unit from Trump, announces a ‘full forensic audit’ of the 2020 predetermination successful 4 counties.

• Sept. 23, 2021, 10:22 p.m. ET

Eight and a fractional hours aft erstwhile President Donald J. Trump made a nationalist request for Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to backmost authorities to make a “forensic audit of the 2020 election,” the Texas caput of state’s bureau announced a “comprehensive forensic audit” of the results from 4 of the state’s largest counties.

The speedy effect by authorities officials successful Texas, which Mr. Trump carried past twelvemonth by much than 5 percent points, was the latest illustration of the erstwhile president’s enduring power implicit the Republican Party, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to his efforts to undermine nationalist assurance successful the legitimacy of his nonaccomplishment past twelvemonth to President Biden.

“Governor Abbott, we request a ‘Forensic Audit of the 2020 Election,’” Mr. Trump said successful a midday unfastened missive to Mr. Abbott. “Texans cognize voting fraud occurred successful immoderate of their counties.”

Texas is currently without a caput of state, aft the May status of Ruth Ruggero Hughs. Mr. Abbott, a Republican, has yet to name a successor.

Nevertheless, the bureau released a two-sentence connection precocious Thursday stating that it would analyse ballots from the 2020 predetermination successful Collin, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant Counties. The quality merchandise called those counties the “two largest Democrat counties and 2 largest Republican counties” successful the state, but of the four, only Collin County backed Mr. Trump against Mr. Biden successful the 2020 election. The connection said the audit process had already begun.

Since Arizona Republicans began a reappraisal of much than 2 cardinal ballots successful Maricopa County, Trump-aligned Republicans crossed the state person sought to replicate the effort. In Wisconsin, a erstwhile State Supreme Court justness is investigating the predetermination results and said Monday that an audit of ballots is possible. Pennsylvania Republicans past week sought driver’s licence information and Social Security numbers for each elector successful the authorities arsenic portion of an enquiry into the 2020 predetermination there.

The assorted reviews person not uncovered immoderate important grounds of fraud oregon impropriety successful the ballot counting. But they person created a caller benignant of information hazard arsenic third parties summation entree to voting equipment and raised questions astir the usage of nationalist resources to analyse Republican conspiracy theories.

To date, determination person been nary superior allegations that the Texas predetermination was flawed.

Texas Democrats called the audit the latest effort by Mr. Abbott and the state’s Republicans to cater to Mr. Trump.

“This is each an organized effort to overturn the volition of the radical successful an effort to substance the ‘Big Lie’ and changeable Trump’s ego,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, the president of the Texas Democratic Party.