Texas Election Contest Litigation

Election Contest Petitions

An election contest under the Texas Election Code challenges the outcome of an election based on irregularities, illegal votes, counting errors, or Election Code violations. Law Nerd LLC drafts election contest petitions and responses with attention to:

• Statutory compliance — meeting the strict filing deadlines and procedural requirements under Title 14 of the Texas Election Code
• Grounds for contest — identifying and documenting illegal votes, counting errors, fraud, Election Code violations, or candidate ineligibility
• Evidence preservation — securing ballot records, poll watcher reports, election official testimony, and chain-of-custody documentation
• Outcome-determinative analysis — demonstrating that the alleged irregularities were sufficient in number to change the election result
• Emergency relief — seeking temporary restraining orders or injunctions to preserve evidence or prevent certification of disputed results

View a sample election contest petition →

Types of Election Disputes

Why Election Law Requires Specialist Briefing

Election litigation is unlike ordinary civil litigation in several critical ways:

• Compressed timelines. Filing deadlines are measured in days, not months. Missing the window by a single day is fatal.
• Heightened procedural requirements. Election contest petitions must satisfy specific statutory requirements that differ from ordinary civil petitions.
• Outcome-determinative burden. It is not enough to show irregularities occurred—the contestant must typically show that the irregularities were sufficient to change the result.
• Public scrutiny. Election litigation is high-profile. The briefing must be precise, factual, and professionally presented.
• Appellate sensitivity. Election cases are frequently appealed and decided on expedited timelines. The trial-level record must be built with appellate review in mind from the start.

Election Law Appeals

Election cases that proceed to appeal face expedited briefing schedules and heightened public attention. Law Nerd LLC handles election law appeals including:

• Appeals from election contest judgments
• Mandamus petitions challenging election-related trial court orders
• Emergency stays pending appeal
• Voting rights challenges under state and federal law

Who Needs Election Law Help

• Candidates who believe an election was affected by irregularities or illegal votes
• Candidates defending against election contest petitions
• Political parties involved in primary election disputes
• Voters whose ballots were rejected or whose voting rights were challenged
• Attorneys who handle general civil litigation but encounter election law issues for the first time