It’s become painfully obvious to everybody in Harris County (Houston, Texas) that Republican leadership has given us a corrupt county government. County Judge Ed Emmett makes excuses and refuses to take responsibility, propose ethics reforms with no teeth and no chance of passing, and then lies on his resumé about being a lobbyist. County Sheriff Tommy Thomas sends racist and pornographic e-mails, spies illegally on citizens, and is under federal investigation for deaths in our jails. County Attorney Mike Stafford has had an inappropriate personal and financial relationship with one of his staffers, and District Clerk Theresa Chang is under tax forfeiture. The list goes on and on.
Is it possible, then, that Harris County’s biggest mistake has been Voter Registrar Paul Bettencourt? Find out why after the jump.
The Tax Assessor’s office in Harris County is trusted with one of the most important functions served by our government: the registration of voters. One would think that, charged with that which affects the most fundamental exercise of our democracy, Bettencourt would be bound by honor and civic duty to ensure that he does a good job. Instead, he works as a partisan hack for voter suppression laws while failing to properly process valid applications.
Ask any volunteer voter registrar about their experience with Bettencourt’s office and odds are you’ll hear the same story: the only thing consistent about Paul Bettencourt’s office is its inconsistency with changing deadlines, changing rules, and changing interpretations. He rejects applications and takes too long to inform the voter — making the real loser is the voting public.
Recently Bettencourt’s actions are becoming public because some voters are showing up to the polls and finding out they aren’t registered. KHOU-11 showed up at Bettencourt’s office with a stack of improperly invalidated voter forms, and asked him to explain himself. Amid his stammering, all Bettencourt could manage to say was that the forms represent “a mistake” and claimed a “fantastic” relationship with the local League of Women Voters.
The local League of Women Voters refutes this claim.
So not only does Bettencourt lie on camera, but there is a mounting wave of anecdotal evidence accusing his office of improper and incompetent behavior. Neither of these help his case.
With new voter registrations greatly favoring Democrats, we can’t help but wonder if Mr. Bettencourt is just another of the many Republicans nationwide trying to stem the Democratic tide by putting politics before governance. If KHOU’s report is any indication, there are some important questions that need to be asked before November 4.
If you want to stop voter suppression in a county larger than 23 states and 3.9 million residents, throw some anvils at Bettencourt and give the Harris County Democratic Coordinated Campaign a hand.
By the way, his Democratic opponent, Diane Trautman, is — really — an ethics teacher.
Let's show Paul Bettencourt that it’s time for a lesson.