Conflicting reports about what happened at Acres Homes
Early voting in Houston did not go as smoothly as some local officials would have you believe. Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote says NAACP representatives made their presence felt at the Acres Homes polling place on Friday night.
“As the afternoon progresses, my understanding is that they were sitting behind the poll watchers table and actually took over the polling place. During all of this the county was called several time,” Engelbrecht said.
Those representatives are not supposed to be inside the building. Engelbrecht says they are allowed to help disabled voters get to the front of the line. However, it seems as if there was more going on.
The representatives were apparently protesting long lines and voiced their support for President Barrack Obama. Assistant County Attorney Doug Ray doesn't exactly deny that something happened when he talked with our TV partner, Local 2.
Doug Ray
“Some voices might have been raised but I think we were able to reach a mutual compromise by the end of the process,” Ray said.
Ray maintained that while the NAACP reps were getting testy, he didn't see any electioneering going on. He also said the representatives were just helping those that needed it.
“They were taking people out of line that they were identifying and taking them to the front of the line in order to get them special assistance,” Ray explained.
Engelbrecht disagrees with that account and says it appeared as if no one was asking for their help.
“They were assisting these voters, although the voters were clearly stating that they did not need help. They forced themselves upon the voters,” Engelbrecht insisted.
Catherine Engelbrecht
Engelbrecht says her concern is that these NAACP representatives might have been inside the polling place and check in voters. Both of which are illegal.
NAACP representatives did not comment about what took place at the Acres Homes location.
Hear the podcast with Matt Patrick and Houston's Morning News as he talks with Engelbrecht and Ray:
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