TX HD 93: Loosing Republican Candidate Wants Revote

A failed Republican candidate for State Rep. Paula Hightower Pierson’s seat  is considering a lawsuit to challenge his 111-vote loss to former Arlington City Councilwoman Barbara Nash in House District 93.

Via the Star-Telegram:

Last week, Bill Burch was mulling whether to request a recount in the primary race he lost by 111 votes to Former Arlington City Councilwoman Barbara Nash.

Now Burch said he may actually push for a “revote,” alleging that the results from Tuesday’s primary are tainted.

Burch said he is considering filing an election contest lawsuit in district court due to several irregularities with the results in District 93, which stretches across much of Arlington, Mansfield and Grand Prairie.

Burch said he was concerned about the primary votes cast at the Mansfield Sub-Courthouse, where several election workers were abruptly replaced after an election judge was caught electioneering. He also expressed concern that there were eight more voters signed in at the polling place then there were completed ballots.

Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Stephanie Klick said complaints were made the day of the primary regarding an election judge who instructed a voter who to support on the ballot.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” Klick said. “We sent in a replacement team.”

Klick said she didn’t think the incident impacted the outcome of the election.

There have been a fair, but not large, number of election contests litigated in Texas in the last decade or so, and I can’t recall one that has actually resulted in a re-vote, so Burch is no doubt going to have a tough road to hoe if he decides to go this route.

Although Hightower Pierson is fairly strong in the district, for the sake of Democrats, it would actually not be a bad thing if Burch sues and the litigation rages on for a few months: it will force both candidates–including the likely nominee–to spend money the would have spent on the election itself in court.

On another note, this should be a pretty good example of why voter identification is not the problem when it comes to election difficulties in Texas. Clearly, voter identification would not have stopped electioneering in a polling place.

As for the eight people who signed in and supposedly didn’t cast ballots, I suspect a recount would prove one of two things: (a) they did cast ballots which weren’t counted properly or (b) if it was a joint polling place, these people signed in at the wrong location, ended up voting in the Democratic Primary and simply were not properly voided by the election judges.