Another indictment handed down for another Harris County Democratic official, this one for the election official who helped screw up the 2022 election.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Tuesday that a data analyst with the now-defunct county Elections Administration Office (EAO) has been charged with six felonies in relation to the 2022 general election.
Hired by the EAO in April 2021, Darryl Blackburn oversaw allocation of resources — including the number of paper ballots provided to polling sites — but investigators say he took another full-time job in the oil and gas industry in October 2021. While submitting time sheets to the county claiming he was working from home, Blackburn was working at his other job during an overlap period of about 15 months.
Blackburn has been charged with five counts of tampering with a government document, and one charge of theft by a public official. According to Michael Levine, Chief Assistant District Attorney of Public Corruption, Blackburn earned $43 per hour for a total of $90,000 from the county while drawing a salary of more than $250,000 at his other job.
I know the Biden Recession has been tough on a lot of people, but if you’re making $250,000 a year, you hardly need to be double-dipping to make ends meet.
On Election Day 2022, Blackburn reported working 18 hours for Harris County but also claimed to work 8 hours for his other employer.
His bond has been set at $65,000.
The charges stem from the county’s fraught November 2022 elections that drew not only multiple election contests but also criminal complaints. While the county’s election problems included delayed openings, malfunctioning equipment, and missing staff, a Texas Secretary of State audit listed a ballot paper shortage as the reason voting came to a halt at multiple polling locations on Election Day.
Remember that the lack of ballots was a big issue, with some charging that it was Republican precincts that got slighted.
“We know there are some people in Harris County who did not get to vote. We know this was a failure in terms of an election that the government has a responsibility to run effectively, ethically, and most importantly, accurately,” said Ogg.
Don’t forget that the last election coordinator before Blackburn, Isabel Longoria, screwed up so badly she had to resign. More:
Harris County Commissioners Court created the EAO in July 2020, but the first appointed administrator Isabel Longoria was forced to resign after several botched elections. The second administrator Clifford Tatum presided over the 2022 election, but was ousted by a new state law returning elections to elected officials last year.
“The Harris County Commissioners Court are the ones who placed themselves … in supervisory control because they created the Office of Elections Administration,” said Ogg. “So, they had control. The Elections Administrators Isabel Longoria and Clifford Tatum did not report to the public.”
“It’s unclear to us whether they ever reported to anybody other than the statements that they made in commissioners court,” said Ogg, who noted that Tatum had come from out of state. “We see a lot of people from other places appointed here in this county.”
While Ogg has been lambasted by her own Democratic Party for pursuing the investigation, she said that on receipt of two or more complaints the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDAO) is required by law to investigate. In late 2022, the HCDAO turned the complaints over to the Texas Rangers.
“It is extremely important to look at these crimes in a non-partisan way and go based on the evidence by applying the law, which is our oath in Texas as prosecutors,” said Ogg.
Corruption and incompetence under the management of Democratic Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo (including felony indictments for her aides) seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
Tags: 2022 Election, Clifford Tatum, Crime, Darryl Blackburn, Democrats, Elections, fraud, Harris County, Holly Hansen, Isabel Longoria, Kim Ogg, Michael Levine, Texas, voting fraud
“Blackburn earned $43 per hour for a total of $90,000 from the county while drawing a salary of more than $250,000 at his other job.”
Darryl Blackburn has forfeited the income from both these jobs. If you are still looking for work, either of these now-vacant positions ought to tide you over until something better presents itself. What’s more, Darryl’s girl friend will be looking for a new squeeze after her guy got tossed off the gravy train. And if he hocked his Rolex watch to help him make bail, you can pick up that prize at a steep discount.
He stole from the taxpayers. Steal it back.
The Elections Administration Office (EAO) job isn’t there any more because they eliminated the department under pressure from the state government.
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