NPR:

Tension between GOP state leaders in Texas and election officials in the Democratic-leaning Houston area is at an all-time high after the 2022 election.

Republicans are accusing Harris County officials of “election improprieties” that resulted in delayed polling site openings, paper ballot shortages and staffing issues on Election Day, among other things.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced last month that she was mandated to open an investigation into the county’s midterm election following requests from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas secretary of state’s office.

In a Nov. 14 letter, the secretary of state’s office told Ogg that it was seeking to review “possible unlawful conduct regarding the handling of blank paper ballots” during the election. State officials say their preliminary investigation, based on interviews with election judges, found the county may have been in violation of at least two sections of the Texas Election Code. In the letter, though, the secretary of state’s office did not provide any evidence of intentional criminal conduct.