Texas Republican Defends Auditing Election in Only Large State Counties: ‘The Small Counties are All Red’
Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images.
In case there was any remaining question about ongoing local audits of 2020 election results and the politics at play, we submit this:
Texas State Rep. Steve Toth revealed why a proposed audit of 2020 election results only focuses on large Texan counties in an interview with The Washington Post. “What’s the point? I mean, all the small counties are red,” he replied to a question if he would include any smaller counties in the audit.
Toth introduced a bill called the “Texas Voter Confidence Act” which is designed to authorize the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House to “select an independent third party to conduct the election audit,” according to a statement. “The forensic audit would focus on the votes cast in the 13 most populous counties in Texas, which include both Republican and Democrat strongholds.”
In an interview with WaPo’s Eva Ruth Moravec, however, Toth gives a remarkably clear reason why the investigation into only the 13 biggest counties in Texas.
The bill would require a forensic auditor to complete the work by Feb. 1, 2022, and report back to the legislature, “detailing any anomalies or discrepancies in voter data, ballot data or tabulation” in the 13 counties. Among the counties included is Montgomery County, where Toth was reelected in November; the bill’s sponsor declined to say whether he believed there was fraud in his election.
Some experts have argued that a statewide audit could be useful. Such audits are commonplace in close elections or in cases where discrepancies emerged after the fact.
But while Toth said he would support a statewide effort, he also argued the undertaking would be too expensive and time-consuming. Asked if he would consider including some smaller counties, Toth replied, “What’s the point? I mean, all the small counties are red.”
As Greg Sargent notes, also in The Washington Post, “Republican voters don’t lack confidence in the system in counties they won; they only lack it in counties populated by a lot of Democratic voters. So let’s focus on auditing those!”
On January 7th the US Congress certified the electoral results of the 2020 general election from states that had themselves certified the results. Since then supporters of former President Donald Trump have led “audits” of election results that have largely been derided, even by local Republican officials as less than serious investigations, or more to the point, “insane from a competence standpoint.”
Read Toth’s full initial statement on the bill released by his office below:
AUSTIN, TX — Monday morning, State Representative Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) announced that he had filed House Bill 241 to initiate a forensic audit of the 2020 general election. The Texas Voter Confidence Act authorizes the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House to select an independent third party to conduct the election audit. The forensic audit would focus on the votes cast in the 13 most populous counties in Texas, which include both Republican and Democrat strongholds.
‘We need a forensic audit to uncover all the voter fraud,’ said Rep. Toth. ‘Prior to the special session, I met with constituents across District 15 in South Montgomery County. The Texas Voter Confidence Act is a product of those meetings and a direct request from the voters who sent me to Austin. Texans want to know more about the claims of voter fraud and deserve to have confidence in their elections. The Office of the Attorney General has prosecuted over 500 election fraud cases and is investigating 400 more. Voters want to know that their legal vote counts and matters.’
Rep Toth’s legislation directs the audit to begin by November 1, 2021, and be completed by February 1, 2022.
‘Representative Toth’s proposed bill is timely and necessary with a view to exposing any instances of fraud during the 2020 election and reassuring Texas voters that their votes were accurately counted,’ said Mark J. Keough, County Judge for Montgomery County. ‘I fully support passage of this bill and look forward to the results of the audit.’
Steve Toth is a small business owner representing South Montgomery County in the Texas House of Representatives. Representative Toth is a proven fiscal conservative serving on the powerful Appropriations Committee. He has been a contributor on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business News, Newsmax, OAN, Real America’s Voice, and KTRH.
