More shenanigans ! ...New complaints plague election (South Texas)
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Posted on 03/02/2004 7:38:14 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Some Hidalgo County voters claim harassment by campaign workers.
EDINBURG — With election day just eight days away, the list of questionable election practices in Hidalgo County grew to include complaints of harassment by three politiqueras, or paid campaign workers, against elderly voters who requested ballots by mail.
The complaints were filed against workers for several different campaigns, including Lloyd Doggett, who is running for the U.S. Congressional seat in District 25; both candidates for the 92nd state District Court judge’s race, incumbent Edward Aparicio and challenger Eric Jarvis; Lupe Treviño, who is running for Hidalgo County sheriff; and Aaron Peña, the incumbent state representative in District 40.
Official complaints were filed at the Hidalgo County Elections Department against Elizabeth Bouleris of Weslaco, Elvira Rios of McAllen and Elvira Martinez of McAllen, said Teresa Navarro, the county’s election administrator.
Rios denied any wrongdoing and said she has always been respectful of elderly voters. Martinez and Bouleris could not be reached for comment.
Because the six complaints against the three women all came from elderly voters who vote by mail, Navarro said she felt someone was using 2002 lists of voters who vote by mail. The lists were deemed not public by the Texas Legislature last year, but before that were considered public information.
Among the irregularities reported so far this year, last week someone requested a mail-in ballot for a dead voter; four people said their ballots were already sealed when they received them; and a Mercedes voter requested a mail-in ballot that was sent somewhere else.
Meanwhile, a group of 13 family members and friends who vote in Hidalgo County but are temporarily living in Houston drove down to Hidalgo County to vote this weekend because they were afraid of their mail-in ballots being stolen, Navarro said.
"Because of all the publicity, they’re afraid their ballot was intercepted," Navarro said.
An elderly Weslaco couple went to the elections department on Saturday claming that Bouleris was telephoning them repeatedly and asking them to vote for Treviño and Aparicio with their mail-in ballots, according to Navarro.
The couple came in and turned in their ballots without voting because they were upset about being contacted repeatedly by Bouleris, Navarro said.
"They came in and turned in their ballots and said they’re not voting," Navarro said.
The couple told her, "We don’t want to vote because we’ve being harassed by an electioneer," she said
Treviño said he hired Bouleris as a campaign worker to hand out literature about him. His campaign expenditure reports show he has paid Bouleris $760 since Dec. 1.
"Of course I’m concerned about it, but I have a clear enough conscience to tell you that that is not the way I work," Treviño said.
He added that he has no control over what his campaign workers do.
"I’m not in direct supervision of anyone but myself," Treviño said.
Aparicio said he was shocked to hear about the complaint because Bouleris volunteered for his opponent, Jarvis.
"She’s never helped me out in any campaign," Aparicio said. "She’s working for the Eric Jarvis campaign."
Jarvis confirmed that Bouleris was a volunteer in the eastern part of the county for his campaign.
Three people from south McAllen filed complaints against Rios, claiming that she stopped by their houses repeatedly and tried to pressure them to vote for Treviño, Doggett and Jarvis.
Rios said she is respectful of elderly voters and that as a community leader in her south McAllen neighborhood, she tries to get people involved.
"That’s not the way we work, we respect our senior citizens, we treat them with dignity," Rios said. "Whoever is trying to put my name in the dirt, I’m not going to let them."
Rios said some women have been going around her neighborhood claiming to be her, which may have led to the complaints.
All three candidates said they knew of no wrongdoing by Rios related to their campaigns.
"I haven’t had to twist any arms to win votes here," Doggett said. "I don’t want anyone associated with our campaign twisting arms."
Treviño also said the allegations were baseless, while Jarvis said he knows Rios as an involved volunteer.
"We hope that the people assisting us use their best judgment," Jarvis said. "I know for a fact that we’re running a clean campaign."
In the third instance, an elderly woman from La Blanca came to the elections department and said a woman named Elvira Martinez came by her house and tried to convince her to vote for Peña, Navarro said.
"She (Martinez) went to her house and said, ‘I have an application for you,’ " Navarro said. "She (the elderly voter) was told, ‘Don’t complete the one you have, complete the one I have.’ "
The La Blanca woman cast her vote in person this weekend after filing her complaint.
Martinez could not be reached for comment and Peña did not return several phone calls left for him. Peña’s campaign indicated that they had no one named Elvira Martinez working for them.
Navarro said any voters afraid that their mail-in ballots have been tampered with could cancel their ballots by coming into a polling place and signing an affidavit. They can then vote in person.
The AARP said seniors should be not be deterred from voting.
"It (mail-in voting) truly does assist people that can’t vote on Election Day," said George Kelemen, director of advocacy for AARP’s Texas chapter. "It is unfortunate that these opportunities are being manipulated or abused."
Keleman suggest that if a voter needs assistance, they ask someone they trust to help out. ——— Sarah Ovaska covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4445.
"They came in and turned in their ballots and said they’re not voting," Navarro said.
The couple told her, "We don’t want to vote because we’ve being harassed by an electioneer," she said
More shenanigans ! ...New complaints plague election (South Texas)
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!
They're democrats. Next thing you know they'll be claiming that GWB and Tom DeLay kept them from voting.
Oh yeah, I believe that.
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