The Texas Attorney General's office is investigating vote-harvesting allegations involving Cecilia Castellano, a Democratic candidate for the Texas House, and her legislative aide, Manuel Medina. The probe, which began in 2022 after a complaint from a losing candidate in a Democratic primary runoff in Frio County, centers on a longtime political operative accused of illegally collecting mail-in ballots for local elections, including Castellano's 2024 campaign.
This week, agents executed search warrants on Castellano's and Medina's homes, seizing phones and documents. "I feel like I've been violated," Castellano said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. "This political tactic is because the Republicans are vying for this seat. They want full power of the House. And we are not going to give up. We are going to continue to work hard."
Medina told the Houston Chronicle the investigation is a politically motivated attempt to hurt Castellano, whose Republican opponent Don McLaughlin has been endorsed by top state Republicans, including Attorney General Ken Paxton. Medina believes Republicans are trying to flip this key state House seat to pass a school voucher bill in the next legislative session, a bill Gov. Greg Abbott unsuccessfully tried to pass in the past.
"It's clearly evident there's a coordinated effort by the [Office of the Attorney General] to influence voter registrars, senior advocates and campaign workers on contested races for the state legislature," Medina told the Houston Chronicle.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), has condemned the raids as intimidation tactics designed to suppress the Latino vote. LULAC plans to request a federal investigation from the U.S. Justice Department, accusing Paxton of using these actions to favor his political allies ahead of the 2024 elections.
Court documents obtained by The Texas Tribune reveal that the investigation focuses on a woman who allegedly charged candidates for collecting, filling out, and mailing ballots on behalf of voters. The woman, who has not been named nor charged, allegedly received payments via her daughter's Cash App, with the transactions often noted as "election" related. The affidavits suggest that the woman assisted Castellano's campaign by influencing elderly and disabled voters to cast ballots in her favor.
In the affidavit, an investigator with the Texas Attorney General's office also claims that Medina was recorded discussing a scheme to collect votes for Castellano with the Frio County operator. Meanwhile, a Bexar County district judge granted Medina a temporary protective order, halting further review of the materials seized from his home until a court hearing in September.
Paxton, in a statement to The Texas Tribune, said that the investigation aims to secure elections: "We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election crimes."
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