The Harris County Republican Party is directing poll worker volunteers to training classes offered by a local tea party spinoff group which has already sparked a lawsuit by county Democrats over voter registration rolls.

King Street Patriots president Catherine Engelbrecht said the group’s True The Vote classes are open to everyone regardless of party and comprises information provided by the Texas Secretary of State. The Harris County GOP does not offer in-person training, which through TTV takes about two hours.

“They’re making the option available,” she said. “We appreciate the vote of confidence that is indicated by that support, but that’s the extent of it.”

The GOP also directs website visitors to precinct campaign training sessions held by KSP at its headquarters in northwest Houston. KSP and TTV are both nonprofit organizations, Engelbrecht said.

Engelbrecht said she did not approach the Harris County Democratic Party about marketing TTV training because of the ongoing lawsuit between Democrats and Harris County Voter Registrar Leo Vasquez. Democrats say Vasquez violated laws when he provided voter registration records to KSP that he had resisted handing over to Democrats.

Based on KSP’s research, Vasquez questioned more than 5,000 voter registration applications and accused two progressive-leaning Texas activist groups of massive and coordinated voter fraud, according to investigative journalism nonprofit Texas Watchdog.

A request for comment from the Harris County GOP was not returned. Harris County Democrats are refraining from comment pending legal counsel.

A Big Jolly Politics blogger has written several stories on KSP, including information from meetings and background on the group.

(Photos: Flickr Creative Commons/Muffet; kingstreetpatriots.org)