Why Harris County Is Sending Law Enforcement to the Polls

As Harris County, Texas, voters go to the polls this week, they may see more law enforcement presence than in years past.

That presence is the Harris County Election Security Task Force, made up of several county law enforcement agencies formed ahead of the 2020 Presidential Election and tasked with keeping voters safe, according to Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth.

"Due to the political climate in 2020, with the pandemic going on, and in the run-up to the election, there were more threats to election administrators than we've ever seen all the years I've been running elections," she said.

Here's everything to know about the task force before you head to the polls:

Threats Weren't Local

Hudspeth stressed that, while election workers nationwide saw a significant uptick in threats and issues, Harris County officials were spared much of that.

"This is really about precautionary measures," she said. "If someone is having a mental health event outside the polls, you want a professional around to handle that. We're very lucky we haven't had an actual instance of someone threatening one of the volunteers."

The majority of calls law enforcement get at polling locations include arguments between campaigns and questions about electioneering rules, she said.

Hundreds Included in Task Force

The task force includes members of all eight Harris County Constable Offices, Harris County Sheriff's Office, Houston Police Department, Harris County Fire Marshal's office and more, according to Jeff McShan, spokesman for Precinct 1 Alan Rosen, who coordinates the group.

Hudspeth said officers and deputies from the organizations are paid overtime using county funds to help patrol polling locations across the county.

She didn't have an estimate on how much it costs to staff each election, saying it varied depending on the races on the ballot.

McShan said the task force sends hundreds of officers out to polling locations. He declined to provide specific details about how they are assigned, or a specific number of officers.

Officials with the Houston Police Department and other agencies included in the task force referred questions about the task force to the constable's office. McShan declined to answer followup questions about the task force.

"We help secure voting locations, areas where votes are gathered or counted and the immediate area around the polling places," he said.

A Permanent Addition to Elections

Hudspeth said, ever since its formation ahead of 2020, the task force has been called into action for each election since. "Some require more presence and assistance than others," she said.

Also playing a role in the task force are several federal agencies, including the FBI, she said. This is important if the county faces something that might require more national assistance.

"One of the biggest examples of that — and it didn't happen in Harris County — but at one point election administrators were finding a powdery substance in their offices," she said.

In September powdery substances were sent to election offices in 16 states, but it was found to be non-hazardous.


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