Harris County election workers continue to count ballots at new headquarters in north Houston

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) - Elections workers in Harris County worked all night counting ballots.

Officials said accuracy and efficiency are their number one goals.

The votes are being counted at the new election headquarters in north Houston, not far from Bush Intercontinental Airport.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, 98% of the expected votes had been counted.

Video from the election headquarters overnight shows workers still inside, continuing the tabulation process.

The election in Harris County this time around went smoothly overall. During the midterm election in 2022, votes were still being counted a week after Election Day.

At the time, machine problems and short staffing issues were blamed for the delay. This time, those issues have not been reported.

In past elections, votes were counted at NRG Park. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said the new facility gives workers more space, which, in turn, makes them more efficient.

"A good amount of those reporters will come straight here to our headquarters. So that's helpful, because instead of waiting for the other five to get here and get to central count, we're going to get over 100 or more vote centers to come here alone. So that's going to help us be more efficient in terms of time," Hudspeth said.

Hudspeth went on to say they want to be efficient and accurate and that workers won't rush this process. The number one goal is getting it right.