A Latino voting rights group led by Roman Palomares has demanded a federal investigation after Texas authorities raided some of its volunteers’ homes and confiscated their phones and computers as part of an investigation by the state attorney general into alleged voter fraud allegations.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton previously confirmed that his office had conducted raids in San Antonio after a local prosecutor informed him of “allegations of voter fraud and ballot harvesting” during the 2022 election, The Associated Press reported.
They searched the house of an 80-year-old woman
Among the volunteers whose homes were searched was an 80-year-old woman, who told her associates that officers were in her home for two hours and took medicines, her smartphone and her watch.
“We feel that our votes are being suppressed,” said Roman Palomares, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, during a press conference he gave. “We are going to get to the bottom of this,” he confirmed.
According to the sources, the investigation is part of an Election Integrity Unit that Attorney General Paxton formed in his office, but there is no further information on the matter.
“At least six members were raided in their homes,” Palomares said. Among them was Manuel Medina, a political consultant from San Antonio, who said his home was raided for several hours as agents confiscated documents, computers and cellphones.
Candidate Castellano’s house was also raided
Medina is the former leader of the Bexar County Democratic Party, and is working on the campaign of Democratic state House candidate Cecilia Castellano, whose home was also raided and searched by authorities.
Nine officers also entered the home of volunteer Lidia Martinez, who expressed confusion about why they were there.
“They sat me down and started searching my entire house, my cellar, my garage, kitchen, everything,” Martinez said during the conference, adding that she was questioned about other members.
They were looking for documents related to the election
Officials were searching for any documents related to the election and confiscated Martinez’s devices.
“I’m not doing anything illegal,” said Lidia Martinez. “All I’m doing is helping the elderly.”
The original statement from the prosecutor’s office hinted at the nature of the investigation. “It was opened due to reports that there are organizations in Texas that may be registering non-citizens to vote, which would be a violation of state and federal laws,” the prosecutor’s office said.
In Texas, the Latino vote is decisive, as they comprise 40.2% of the population of 30.5 million. Several Latino organizations are dedicated to promoting registration among Hispanics, who have a lower rate of participation at the polls, explained El País.
In the 2020 elections, 74% of the non-Hispanic white population nationwide registered to vote, while only 61% of Latinos did so, according to the same newspaper.
With information from AP
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