ONTRERAS Although there are no hard numbers, experts say legal challenges are becoming more common in lower-ballot elections in Texas.
For example, it’s been a little over a year since Democrat DaSean Jones was sworn in as a Harris County criminal district court judge. But his 2022 opponent, Tami Pierce, is still challenging the outcome of Jones’s election win in court.
It’s emblematic of a pattern election officials are seeing- elections seem just never to end.
Pierce is among 21 losing Republican candidates in Harris County who challenged the results of the 2022 general election.
What goes into contesting elections?
There’s a high evidentiary bar to contest elections in Texas. A court will look closely at the vote margin and challengers have to prove there are illegal votes included in the vote tally, said Chad Dunn, a Texas attorney and election law expert.
Candidates who request recounts usually must pay for it unless the results of the recount change the outcome. (This rarely happens.)
What happens if a recount changes an election outcome?
Lawyers say if this were to hap- pen, official actions taken by the original incumbent, like rulings by an elected judge, should stand.
