Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has ramped up efforts to ensure the integrity of the state’s elections, launching a comprehensive investigation into allegations that nonprofit organizations are unlawfully registering noncitizens to vote.
This push aims to preserve the sanctity of the electoral process and prevent any potential illegal influence on local, state, and national elections.
Investigators from the Texas Attorney General’s Election Integrity Unit have been conducting undercover operations to identify and crack down on voter registration activities that may involve noncitizens.
This is the same unit that, in June 2021, arrested Monica Mendez in Victoria County on multiple counts of election fraud. Mendez was charged with 7 counts of Illegal Voting, 8 counts of Unlawfully Assisting a Voter Voting by Mail, 8 counts of Unlawful Possession of a Ballot, and 8 counts of Election Fraud.
Early findings from these recent operations have revealed that various nonprofit organizations have been setting up booths outside Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Driver License offices, offering voter registration assistance.
These booths are allegedly targeting non-citizens and illegal aliens who may not be eligible to vote.
In a statement on Wednesday, Attorney General Paxton expressed deep concern over these findings.
“Texans are deeply troubled by the possibility that organizations purporting to assist with voter registration are illegally registering noncitizens to vote in our elections. If eligible citizens can legally register to vote when conducting their business at a DPS office, why would they need a second opportunity to register with a booth outside?”
He added, “My office is investigating every credible report we receive regarding potential criminal activity that could compromise the integrity of our elections. The Biden-Harris Administration has intentionally flooded our country with illegal aliens, and without proper safeguards, foreign nationals can illegally influence elections at the local, state, and national level. It is a crime to vote—or to register to vote—if you are not a United States Citizen. Any wrongdoing will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
On August 20, Paxton’s office conducted raids on the homes of several prominent Democrats in South Texas as part of this ongoing election integrity investigation.
The targets included Manuel Medina, chair of the Tejano Democrats, several members of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a state House candidate, and a local mayor, according to NBC News.
The news outlet reported:
A copy of a wide-ranging search warrant left with one of the people targeted, LULAC volunteer Lidia Martinez, 87, of San Antonio, offered a window into the investigation’s interests. The warrant ordered the seizure of all electronic devices at her home, allowed for the opening of documents that were business-, organization- or election-related, and authorized swabbing for DNA. According to the warrant, the purpose of the search was to look for evidence of violations of the Texas election laws regarding vote harvesting and identity fraud.
Medina’s home was also “forcibly entered” in the early morning of Aug. 20. According to a filing from his attorney, officers woke up Medina, his wife and two young daughters, and “rummaged through the residence” for seven hours, the attorney said, searching through the living spaces, closets, kitchen, bathrooms, garage and the family’s bedrooms. Officers seized 65 cellphones and 41 computers and storage devices, the filing said.
Two Democratic consultants who weren’t knowledgeable about Medina’s business or the investigation said someone running an election phone banking or canvassing operation can have multiple phones and computers for volunteers and staff.
Medina’s attorney was granted his request for an injunction to block the attorney general or any other state officials from reviewing the documents or disseminating them. A hearing on the search and seizures was set for Sept. 12.
On Monday, LULAC leaders, state legislators, Latino activists, and supporters gathered to protest outside the San Antonio office of Attorney General Paxton.
LULAC has since requested that the Justice Department investigate Paxton’s office for potential Voting Rights Act violations, accusing the office of conducting illegal searches under the guise of voter fraud investigations, according to CBS News.