Mattress Mack suing Harris County for public election records

Loading Video…

This browser does not support the Video element.

Mattress Mack suing Harris County for public election records

After enduring back-to-back, major Harris County elections during the 2022 midterms deeply plagued by delay and dysfunction, Houston icon Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale wants to know what went wrong.

After enduring back-to-back, major Harris County elections deeply plagued by delay and dysfunction, Houston icon Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale wants to know what went wrong. 

RELATED: Alexandra del Moral Mealer says she will file election contest

Additionally, he looks to see whether the answer lies in government records – records to which all Texans are entitled to access, but Harris County has, thus far, refused to release.

"What's wrong with sunshine? Shine the light on it!" said McIngvale. "This is not about political parties. It's about the election process." 

Loading Video…

This browser does not support the Video element.

Harris Co. Commissioner’s court certify 2022 midterm results despite mishaps on Election Day

Despite a host of Election Day irregularities and an ongoing criminal investigation, Harris County commissioners have voted to certify the midterm results. FOX 26 political reporter Greg Groogan was at Tuesday's meeting, where we heard plenty of protests.

"We are going to make the election process fair for everybody because we firmly believe every Texan should have a right to vote, and their vote should be counted," he continued. "And we want to know from the Harris County Election Board whether this was incompetence, negligence, corruption, or a combination of all three."

Mack has partnered with well-known public integrity investigator Wayne Dolcefino in a lawsuit seeking records from Harris County Election Administrator Clifford Tatum.

MORE: Astros World Series parade one of several reasons for Harris Co. Election Day issues: report

Through access to Tatum’s official e-mail and text messages, McIngvale and Dolcefino hope to learn what, if any, effort was made to remedy voting machine malfunction and a widespread shortage of paper ballots on election day.

"Harris County voters have a right to know right now what went wrong and whether Clifford Tatum who is the election administrator, who has a history of botched elections, botched this one," said Dolcefino.

Loading Video…

This browser does not support the Video element.

Harris County DA launches investigation into midterm election issues

Politics or a broken system? A new investigation has been launched in Harris County following election day issues at polling locations.

Attorney Jeff Diamant says the shorting of paper ballots to dozens of Harris County voting places, accidental or not, is particularly problematic.

"So if we have historical data that shows we have 1,500 people who generally vote in this area, and we send them 500 ballots, we know we are headed to a problem already," he said. "These records will help us understand what did they know when did they know it, and what, if anything, did they do to solve the problems."

SUGGESTED: Protesters remain livid over 2022 midterm election issues in Harris County

Meantime, a spokesperson for Tatum says the Election Administrator is awaiting guidance from the Texas Attorney General.

"The Attorney General’s office has 45 working days from the day after the request to respond," said Nidia Hakim, Communications Director for the Harris County Elections Administration. "As of today, the office has not received an opinion on how to proceed with these particular public information requests. 

MORE COVERAGE ON THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Any suggestion that the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office lacks transparency is false," Hakim concluded.