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| known_for = Clerk for [[Harris County, Texas]], in the 2020 Presidential Election
| known_for = Clerk for [[Harris County, Texas]], in the 2020 Presidential Election
}}
}}
'''Christopher George Hollins'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Christopher George Hollins Profile {{!}} Houston, TX Lawyer {{!}} Martindale.com |url=https://www.martindale.com/attorney/christopher-george-chris-hollins-168882498/ |website=www.martindale.com |access-date=5 April 2022}}</ref> <!-- (born: July 8, 1986) can be restored if [[WP:RS]] is found --> an American attorney and politician who is the former interim Harris County Clerk, serving from June 2020 to January 2021. He is known for overseeing the [[2020 United States presidential election]] in Harris County.
'''Christopher George Hollins'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Christopher George Hollins Profile {{!}} Houston, TX Lawyer {{!}} Martindale.com |url=https://www.martindale.com/attorney/christopher-george-chris-hollins-168882498/ |website=www.martindale.com |access-date=5 April 2022}}</ref> <!-- (born: July 8, 1986) can be restored if [[WP:RS]] is found --> an American attorney and politician who is the former interim Harris County Clerk, serving from June 2020 to November 2020.<ref name="Zedakar"> He is known for overseeing the [[2020 United States presidential election]] in Harris County.


A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Hollins has served as Vice Chair of the [[Texas Democratic Party]] and worked as an intern in the [[Obama Administration]]. In February 2022, he announced his candidacy in the [[2023 Houston mayoral election]].
A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Hollins has served as Vice Chair of the [[Texas Democratic Party]] and worked as an intern in the [[Obama Administration]]. In February 2022, he announced his candidacy in the [[2023 Houston mayoral election]].

Revision as of 17:02, 7 April 2022

Chris Hollins
Interim County Clerk of Harris County
In office
June 1, 2020 – January 1, 2021
Preceded byDiane Trautman
Succeeded byTeneshia Hudspeth
Personal details
Born
Christopher George Hollins
Political partyDemocratic
BildungMorehouse College (BA)
Yale University (JD)
Harvard University (MBA)
OccupationAttorney
Known forClerk for Harris County, Texas, in the 2020 Presidential Election

Christopher George Hollins[1] an American attorney and politician who is the former interim Harris County Clerk, serving from June 2020 to November 2020.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). In 2007, Hollins graduated from Morehouse magna cum laude.[2] Following graduation, Hollins went on to earn a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.[3]

Hollins is a personal injury attorney.[4] His early professional experience includes positions with Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company where he operated as a management consultant.[5]

Clerk for Harris County

On May 16, 2020, the Commissioners Court for Harris County voted to appoint Hollins as Interim Clerk for Harris County, Texas by a 3-2, party-line vote after his predecessor, Diane Trautman, resigned from the position citing ill health.[6] At 34 years old, Hollins was the youngest person to have ever held the position, as well as the first African American to hold the position.[7][8] He took office on June 1, 2020.[9][10]

The Office of the Harris County Clerk is not only responsible for administering permits and other licenses or incorporation documents, but also responsible for managing all election responsibilities as the Harris County Elections Administrator.[11] As Elections Administrator, Hollins attracted national attention for his staunch commitment to voting rights and to eliminating the remnants of Jim Crow voting restrictions for the Harris County elections system.[12] Hollins also submitted a plan to separate the responsibilities of overseeing the election from the Office of the Harris County Clerk into a new, separate appointed position: Harris County Elections Administrator. His efforts in that arena resulted in Isabel Longoria, longtime community organizer and special adviser on voting rights to Hollins, being sworn in to the office via virtual ceremony on November 18, 2020.[13] Longoria was the first to hold the position.[13]

Hollins was succeeded by Teneshia Hudspeth on January 1, 2021.[14] Following his tenure as Clerk, Hollins continued making national and local news appearances, including, but not limited to KTRK-TV (ABC);[15][16][17] Ayman;[18] and Zerlina.[19]

2020 U.S. presidential election and Texas voting restrictions

See also: 2020 United States presidential election in Texas

Hollins was vocal in opposing Texas governor Greg Abbott's decision to allow only one drop-box per Texas county in the U.S. 2020 presidential election. Harris County, which is larger than the State of Rhode Island and has 2.4 million registered voters, had only one voting drop-box location. Based on Abbott's policy, voters at one end of the county would have had to drive over an hour to reach that box in order to submit their ballot.[20][21] On October 9, 2020, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Pitman issued an injunction blocking Abbott's order limiting the number of ballot drop-off sites to one per county; Pitman wrote that the governor's order placed "older and disabled voters living in Texas's largest and most populous counties must travel further distances to more crowded ballot return centers where they would be at an increased risk of being infected by the coronavirus in order to exercise their right to vote and have it counted" and that voters risked being disenfranchised if the U.S. Postal Service failed to deliver their ballots in time.[22] Days later, however, Pitman's order was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.[23][24]

Hollins sought to send out applications for postal (mail-in) ballots for the general election to each registered voter to Harris County. This plan was challenged by Republican officials, however, and was blocked by the Supreme Court of Texas in October 2020.[25][26] Other policies instituted by Hollins include expansion of in-person voting locations, the introduction of drive-through voting, developing COVID-19 safety guidelines regarding voting, extending voting hours to include 24-hour voting.[27][28][29][22]

On November 1, 2020, days before Election Day, the Supreme Court of Texas threw out a Republican challenge seeking to invalidate about 127,000 votes cast via the drive-through voting program Hollins implemented.[30] Two days later a federal judge upheld the legitimacy of drive-through votes, rejecting a similar Republican effort to invalidate votes case through this method.[31]

On September 7, 2021, Governor Abbott responded to the voting modifications Hollins put in place during his tenure as Clerk by signing a voting bill that includes sweeping legislation to tighten state election laws and constrain local control of elections by limiting the ability to expand voting options at the county level.[32] The voting bill was scheduled to take effect just in time for the 2022 primary elections, but has since been stuck in federal court by a flurry of legal challenges to its potential to disproportionately impede the voting rights specifically as to people of color or with disabilities.[33] If the bill overcomes the challenges it now faces, it will restrict how and when voters are able to cast their respective ballots; target voting initiatives implemented in the Democratic and diverse Harris County by banning overnight early voting hours and drive-thru voting which were options frequently employed by voters of color in 2021; further restrict already significantly limited voting-by-mail rules; grant free movement to partisan poll watchers as well as increased autonomy; set new rules for voter assistance, including additional criminal penalties; and make it a felony with a punishment of imprisonment to proactively distribute applications for mail-in ballots even where they are providing those applications to persons who automatically qualify to vote by mail.[34] On February 11, 2022, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez blocked the portion of the law which makes it a crime for election officials to send out vote-by-mail applications to registered voters who had not requested one on the basis that it amounts to unlawful viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment.[35]

In November 2020, Hollins appeared on various national and local news programs to discuss the Harris County elections, including MSNBC.[36][37][38][39]

Other political activities

In 2009, Hollins was a summer intern during the presidency of Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States.[2] As a White House intern, Hollins worked in the Office of Presidential Personnel which oversees the selection process for presidential appointments.[2] Prior to serving as the Harris County Clerk, Hollins regarded his White House internship experience as the most memorable of his professional career.[40]

After his tenure as County Clerk, Hollins was appointed to sit on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County.[41]

Hollins is the Vice Chair of the Texas Democratic Party.[42]

Houston mayoral candidacy

In February 2022, Hollins announced is candidacy in the 2023 Houston mayoral election to succeed Sylvester Turner, who's term-limited.[43]

References

  1. ^ "Christopher George Hollins Profile | Houston, TX Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Tezeno was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Attorney Chris Hollins new Harris County Clerk". Highlands Star/Crosby Courier.
  4. ^ Smith, David (January 30, 2022). "Trump tours the country in support of candidates pushing the 'big lie'". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Hardy, Michael (January 2021). "The Best Things in Texas, 2021: Lina Hidalgo and Chris Hollins". Texas Monthly.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Zedakar, Hannah (May 20, 2020). "Commissioners appoint Christopher Hollins interim Harris County clerk beginning June 1". Community Impact Newspaper.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "September 16, 2020". Viceland. VICE TV.
  8. ^ "The Rachel Maddow Show". MSNBC.
  9. ^ Despart, Zach (2020-05-20). "Texas Democratic Party official appointed interim Harris County clerk". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  10. ^ Despart, Zach (June 2, 2020). "Hollins confident experience will serve him as interim Harris County Clerk". HoustonChronicle.com.
  11. ^ Despart, Zack (June 1, 2020). "Hollins confident experience will serve him as Harris County Clerk". Houston Chronicle.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Beragan, James (April 16, 2020). "Former Harris County clerk: No regrets over voting programs that sparked Texas legislative backlash". The Dallas Morning News.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b Zedakar, Hannah (November 18, 2020). "Isabel Longoria sworn in as Harris County's first-ever elections administrator". Community Impact Newsletter.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Teneshia Hudspeth". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  15. ^ Gaston, Gina (November 25, 2020). "Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins reveals his next move".
  16. ^ Gaston, Gina (February 7, 2022). "Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins running for Houston mayor in 2023".
  17. ^ Homer, Michelle (February 7, 2022). "Chris Hollins will run to replace Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner".
  18. ^ Mohyeldin, Ayman (February 20, 2022). "Texas Democrat on the hypocrisy of state GOP election officials".
  19. ^ Maxwell, Zerlina (February 14, 2022). "Early voting begins in Texas".
  20. ^ Texas governor being sued over limit on ballot drop boxes - CNN Video, retrieved 2020-10-09
  21. ^ "Texas Governor Limits Ballot Drop-Off Locations, Local Officials Vow To Fight Back". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  22. ^ a b Deliso, Meredith (2020-10-10). "Judge blocks Texas governor's order limiting number of ballot drop-off sites". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  23. ^ Bill Chappell, U.S. Appeals Court Sides With Texas On One-Per-County Ballot Drop-Off, NPR (October 13, 2020).
  24. ^ Josh Gertsein, Appeals court reinstates Texas governor's limit on ballot dropboxes, Politico (October 13, 2020).
  25. ^ Killough, Ashley; Stracqualursi, Veronica. "Texas Supreme Court rules Harris County cannot mail out ballot applications to all registered voters". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  26. ^ Gershman, Jacob (2020-10-07). "Houston Can't Send Unsolicited Mail-In Ballot Applications, Judges Rule". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  27. ^ Simon, Scott (September 19, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court Blocks Harris County Clerk From Sending Voters Mail-In Ballots". NPR.
  28. ^ Schneider, Andrew (June 15, 2020). "New Harris County Clerk Unveils Voter Safety Initiatives". Houston Public Media.
  29. ^ Zedaker, Hannah (2020-07-23). "Harris County clerk requests early voting extension, pilots drive-thru voting ahead of November election". impact. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  30. ^ McCullough, Jolie (November 1, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court rejects Republican-led effort to throw out nearly 127,000 Harris County votes". Texas Tribune.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ Kates, Graham (November 3, 2020). "Federal judge rejects latest attempt to block nearly 127,000 drive-thru votes in Texas". CBS News.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ Ura, Alexa (September 7, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks". The Texas Tribune.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ Ura, Alexa (September 7, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks". The Texas Tribune.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ Ura, Alexa (September 7, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks". The Texas Tribune.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ Lindell, Chuck (February 11, 2021). "Federal judge blocks new Texas law limiting vote-by-mail applications". Austin American Statesman.
  36. ^ Mitchel, Andrea (June 2, 2021). "Fmr. Harris County Clerk: State voting restrictions 'target' more diverse counties". MSNBC.
  37. ^ "Texas GOP ramps up attacks against voting access". March 21, 2021.
  38. ^ Tur, Katy (October 15, 2020). "Fed. court rules against GOP suit to limit drive-thru voting".
  39. ^ "Advocates demand Texas businesses speak out against restrictive voting bills". April 3, 2021.
  40. ^ Jamail, Allan (June 4, 2020). "Attorney Chris Hollins sworn in as new Harris County Clerk". North Channel Star.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. ^ Stuckey, Timothy (March 13, 2021). "Recent appointee to METRO board shares thoughts on new position". Urban Reform.
  42. ^ "Party Officers". Texas Democratic Party. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  43. ^ Scherer, Jasper (8 February 2022). "Former Harris County clerk Chris Hollins announces run for Houston mayor". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 4 April 2022.

Further reading

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