Fire Destroys Houston Election Equipment

HOUSTON (AP) _ A three-alarm at a Houston warehouse that stores voting machines could complicate elections for Harris County voters later this year.

A fire that broke out before dawn Friday at the Harris County Clerk Election Technology Center burned about a third of the building that houses some 10,000 voting machines.

County Clerk spokesman Hector DeLeon says machines could be borrowed from other counties in time for early voting that begins Oct. 2. It wasn’t immediately known how the loss of equipment could affect the Nov. 2 election. Choosing a Texas governor tops the ballot.

More than a million voters are registered in Harris County but only about one-third of them typically vote in gubernatorial elections.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which was doused after about three hours.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

More News