(NewsNation) — What if someone handpicked by the governor of a red state was given the power to overturn election results in a specifically blue county? This may soon be reality in Texas.

The bill, which has been advanced by lawmakers in the Lone Star State, targets Harris County, the largest county in the state that is typically Democratic-leaning. It would allow the Texas secretary of state, Republican Jane Nelson, to order a new election in Harris County if 2 percent or more of its polling locations run out of ballot paper for more than an hour. Nelson was appointed by conservative Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Critics of the bill question giving someone selected by the governor power to call for a new election. Those in favor of the legislation look at it as a way to hold Harris County accountable after an investigation found that 20 polling locations ran out of paper and impacted voters in Republican-leaning areas.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton says 16% of Harris County polling locations experienced paper ballot shortages.

“Thousands of people were disenfranchised because of that,” Middleton told NewsNation host Dan Abrams on Thursday evening. “So, what this bill does, is it makes sure that that doesn’t happen again and that everybody that shows up to vote gets to vote and they’re not denied ballot paper.”

Abrams said it seems like lawmakers are confusing problem with solution.

“I think everyone agrees that was a problem. Right? It was a big problem. The question becomes, is the way to solve that to give the governor the power to determine through a secretary of state whether to overturn an election? I mean, that seems like dangerous business,” Abrams said.

Middleton replied that the legislation is a “prescribed remedy.”

“We hope that they simply just deliver enough ballot paper. I mean, it’s a really simple solution to this problem,” Middleton said.

Abrams asked Middleton if he would support the bill if it was flipped and a Democratic secretary of state had the power to decide on whether to hold a new election. Middleton insists the bill “doesn’t have any partisanship to it.”

“This is fair. It works both ways, regardless, Democrat or Republican. That’s why this is so important,” Middleton said.

Abrams responded: “This makes me very nervous and should make everyone nervous when they’re talking about the possibility of the power to call for a new election.”

The bill passed the Texas Senate on Tuesday and moves to the House for consideration.

Harris County, which includes Houston, has a population of more than 2.7 million. Following the county’s paper shortage in the 2022 midterm elections, Abbott requested an investigation into the issues, which are now the subject of a lawsuit.

The Hill contributed to this report.