Federal and state investigations are now being sought after investigators with the attorney general's office raided the South Texas homes of Democratic campaign workers, volunteers, and a Texas House candidate.
Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered the raids to investigate alleged election fraud and voter harvesting during the 2022 midterm elections.
"Voter harvesting" is collecting completed absentee ballots from voters and delivering them to polling places or election offices.
Ramon Palomares, the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said the raids had nothing to do with voter harvesting.
"LULAC is asking Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Office of the Department of Justice to investigate Attorney General Paxton's efforts to interfere with the Latino vote," he said. "This is pointblank voter intimidation, and LULAC will fight for the right of every Latino to exercise their right to vote."
@texaspublicradio Federal and state investigations are now being sought after investigators with the attorney general's office raided the South Texas homes of Democratic campaign workers, volunteers, and a Texas House candidate. Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered the raids to investigate alleged election fraud and voter harvesting during the 2022 midterm elections. "Voter harvesting" is collecting completed absentee ballots from voters and delivering them to polling places or election offices. Ramon Palomares, the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said the raids had nothing to do with voter harvesting. "This is pointblank voter intimidation, and LULAC will fight for the right of every Latino to exercise their right to vote," Palomares said. Get the whole story at npr.org 🎤 Brian Kirkpatrick / TPR 📹 Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio / TPR
♬ original sound - Texas Public Radio
Palomares made his comments on Monday to protestors who gathered outside the San Antonio office of the Texas attorney general. Some of those who saw their homes raided and Democratic State Sens. Roland Gutierrez and Jose Menendez also turned out for the protest.
Former Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina, Democratic Texas House District 80 candidate Cecilia Castellano, and 87-year-old LULAC member Lidia Martinez were among those that saw their homes raided. Others who work on Castellano's campaign were also subjected to searches.
Medina most recently consulted for Castellano's campaign and was allegedly recorded discussing voter harvesting with a Frio County political operative.
Martinez said her LEE High School area home was raided not long after she woke up at 5:30 a.m. last Tuesday.
She said seven armed men and two armed women were at her home for hours searching and questioning her about voter registration, LULAC, and Medina.
She said she helps seniors register to vote or helps them with their mail-in ballots if they need it, but she did not do anything illegal. She said she does not fill anything in for anyone on voter forms.
"They questioned me for three hours," she said. "At one point, they had me outside in front of all my neighbors while they searched the living room, and they never let me get dressed. It was just very embarrassing, intimidating harassment. They searched everything in my house."
She said the agents departed with her laptop, appointment book, and cell phone.
Castellano, who also saw her cell phone seized during the raid on her home, suspected she was targeted because she is running for the Uvalde area seat the Republicans think they can flip to help maintain control of the Texas House.
"I really, really do believe that because the district attorney is a Republican in Atascosa County. That's where I'm from," Castellano said. "And I believe she is doing this for political gain and to help her Republican Party."
Former Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin Jr., endorsed by Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott, and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, is running for the seat as a Republican. Castellano wondered aloud why guns drawn in these raids were not pulled out as fast on the Uvalde school shooter to stop the deaths of 19 children and two teachers.
"I can only imagine what the daughters of Mr. Manuel Medina went through with assault weapons in their faces," she said. "Why the hell couldn't Ken Paxton and Don McLaughlin have that happen at Robb Elementary? Why didn't they go in forcefully like that?"
Gutierrez and Menendez said they plan to send a letter to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to investigate the raids and reports that assault weapons were pulled.
