Alex Mealer drops election lawsuit against Lina Hidalgo

LEGAL DRAMA: Alex Mealer feuding with ex-lawyer over voter fraud allegations in election she misplaced to Lina Hidalgo

Mealer defined her determination in a observation Thursday.

“My goal in filing an election contest was not to relitigate my race,” Mealer stated, “but rather to make sure future races are fair to all voters and candidates. To this end, I sought to uncover all the data and records I could that relate to the November 2022 election.” Mealer added that she plans to recommend for adjustments to the Texas Election Code relating to public get right of entry to to knowledge.

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee known as Mealer’s lawsuit a “waste of time and resources.”

“She didn’t win the election and she wasn’t going to win the election contest, yet she insisted on continuing to spread conspiracy theories in an attempt to overturn the will of the voters,” Menefee stated in a observation Thursday. “It’s time for the other losing Republican candidates to drop their lawsuits as well.”

Mealer’s lawsuit in the beginning interested by claims {that a} scarcity of poll paper at some polling places on Election Day ended in 1000’s of disenfranchised electorate. Later, Mealer added allegations that 1000’s of ballots have been improperly counted as smartly.

A Chronicle investigation discovered round 20 Harris County polling places ran out of paper, some for simply quarter-hour and others for as much as 3 hours. Harris County has a countywide polling device, so electorate may pass to any of 782 places open that day.

FOLLOW THE PAPER: GOP leaders say Harris County’s poll scarcity used to be focused at Republicans. Here’s what the knowledge says. 

In February, Gallery Furniture proprietor and Mealer supporter Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale introduced a site in hopes of gathering proof of electorate who have been grew to become clear of the polls. 

Mealer’s former prison recommend, Elizabeth Alvarez, filed a letter closing month with the courtroom announcing she didn’t give a boost to Mealer’s contemporary claims of poll fraud. Mealer denied that her allegations in regards to the election have been an issue of poll fraud.

Hidalgo’s lawyer, Neal Manne, criticized Mealer on Thursday for failing to spot a unmarried voter who used to be not able to solid a poll.

“The lawsuit was frivolous when she filed it, and she has wasted a tremendous amount of the County’s and the Court’s time before finally acknowledging tonight that there is no evidence to support her outlandish claims,” Manne stated in a observation. 

Manne added that his company represented Hidalgo professional bono.

“We will continue to provide free representation to other candidates whose electoral victories are being challenged in lawsuits that really are just cynical political stunts,” Manne stated.

Sartaj Bal, some other GOP candidate, additionally dropped his lawsuit Thursday.

Last month, the primary election problem went to trial in a lawsuit introduced via Erin Lunceford, who misplaced her race to incumbent 189th District Judge Tamika Craft via 2,743 votes, a a long way narrower margin than Mealer’s.

Craft’s legal professionals supplied the pass judgement on with an e-mail Bal despatched to birthday party management ahead of submitting his lawsuit, wondering whether or not they would have sufficient proof to win a brand new election.

“Again, we have zero admissible evidence in our possession at this time and in my opinion it’s game over until we do — if we ever do,” Bal wrote.

On the closing day of the trial, Dan Spjut, some other one of the most GOP applicants who contested effects, dropped his lawsuit. Spjut misplaced his race for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 10 judicial seat to Judge Juanita Jackson via 24,135 votes.

Mealer’s determination to drop the lawsuit comes 8 days after she publicly criticized Hidalgo for taking clinical depart to obtain remedy for medical despair. Hidalgo’s team of workers known as the ones feedback “irresponsible,” and later stated Hidalgo plans to be again at the activity on Oct. 2.