Ballot requested for dead voter (South Texas)

The Monitor ^ | February 28,2004 | Alma Walzer and Ryan Gabrielson

[SwinneySwitch]

EDINBURG — Things just keep getting stranger at the Hidalgo County Elections Department, with someone this week trying to obtain a mail ballot for a dead person.

Elections Administrator Teresa Navarro said she received a request Wednesday for a mail ballot for a female voter who hasn’t voted since 2000 and died in 2001.

Earlier in the week, five Hidalgo County voters filed complaints with the elections department, saying their mail ballots had been tampered with.

All five voters are older than 65 and at least four of them live in the Weslaco area or the North McAllen/South Edinburg area.

Instead of receiving a blank ballot to fill out, place in an envelope to sign and mail, four of the voters received a ballot already completed for them. The envelope they received was already sealed, and a note attached requested that they just sign on the back and mail it back.

A fifth voter from Mercedes didn’t receive at his home the mail ballot he asked for — it was mailed instead to a different address.

The fifth voter said a politiquera told him the ballot would arrive at his home, but apparently it was mailed to Rio Grande City, which is outside of Hidalgo County, Navarro said.

A politiquera is a paid representative of a political candidate.

Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra said his office could handle this most recent complaint, since the application gave a promising lead: a mailing address. Guerra said several investigative options are available.

"I think we should mail the ballot," Guerra said. "We give it to the post office and tell them we want to follow this ballot because it’s illegal, and we see who picks it up."

Guerra, who earlier this week said his office didn’t have the manpower to check into some of the other complaints that might not have promising leads, said he has investigators who could easily handle this case.

"We’ll do anything to help," Guerra said. "We can assign people to do that (follow the mail ballot)."

Navarro said the request for the mail ballot for the dead voter bolsters her theory that someone is working off an old election list of everyone who requested ballots by mail.

In previous elections, politiqueras were able to obtain a list of everyone who had requested a ballot by mail, but Navarro has said that is no longer the case.

A law that went into effect Sept. 1, 2003 now makes that list private, and it is no longer subject to open record requests, Navarro said.

"I think this is a confirmation that whoever out there doing this electioneering is working off an old list," Navarro said.

The elections administrator said she would share the most recent information with Guerra as well as the Texas Attorney General’s office, which is considering opening an investigation into the complaints surrounding the mail ballots.

On Thursday Texas Secretary of State Geoffrey Connor sent a letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott that requested an investigation be opened. The letter indicated that several criminal election offenses might have occurred including unlawful assistance, unlawfully influencing a voter and illegal voting.

So far, the A.G.’s office is still trying to figure out if it will send investigators to Hidalgo County.

"We have received the referral letter and we are making a determination of what action to take," said Tom Kelly, an Attorney General’s office spokesman. "There will be no further comment on this issue."

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Alma Walzer covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments at The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4422.

Ryan Gabrielson covers Pharr, San Juan, Alamo and general assignments at The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4462.

[SwinneySwitch]

Preserve the sanctity of the ballot!

[CzarNicky]

Democrats at work.

[Johnny_Cipher]

Until the Democrat operatives doing this vote fraud actually start being convicted and punished (a few butts in jail cells would be a good start), this sort of thing is going to continue to fester. No one went to jail for the demonstrated vote fraud in Wisconsin in 2000 (homeless people being given cigarettes). No one went to jail for the Vote-a-Matic machine found in the trunk of a Democrat operative's car in Florida in 2000. Nay, I've found no evidence at all of anyone actually being convicted and jailed for vote fraud anywhere in the US in the last 20 years.

Laws against vote fraud are useless unless they are enforced.

[SICSEMPERTYRANNUS]

It's all part of the Dems MO. They will use voter fraud to win but when they lose they chalk it up to Republican voter fraud and cry disenfranchisement. We don't need to cheat because we can win on ideas.

[goresalooza]

Makes ya wonder how many elections DemoRATS ever actually won. Probably not as many as we think, damn cheaters! They've been getting away with this for decades...damn them.

[The South Texan]

Tradition never dies just like voters in the Democrat party.

[navygal]

It is starting already.

[BJungNan]

"I think we should mail the ballot," Guerra said. "We give it to the post office and tell them we want to follow this ballot because it’s illegal, and we see who picks it up."

If this guy is not in on it, he is the stupidest investigator in the world. Maybe if he said it louder whoever is set to receive ballots illegally will have been sufficiently tipped off.

[Cicero]

I agree. This is a serious crime. But if no one is ever punished for election fraud, they will naturally continue to do it. Why not? There's a lot of money and power in it, and apparently no downside.

I'd also mention South Dakota. Tim Johnson won through open voter fraud on the Indian reservations, but no one was punished. Thune never even made any effort to follow it up.

Considering that the fraud may well add up to 5 or 10 million votes nationally, I simply don't understand why the Republicans don't jump on it and prosecute the offenders.

[BJungNan]

Okay, where is Edinberg? Texas? Along the border? Some help please...

[BJungNan]

Never mind, this explains it all. It is a border town. Mexico corruption here we come.

[SwinneySwitch]

South Texas, Rio Grande valley.

[Dog Gone]

Deep south Texas, not far from Brownsville. Edinburgh is a little north of the border, but not much.

[taxcontrol]

Actually, in this case the stiffer punishment would be mail fraud. But like you say, VOCALLY and LOUDLY put a dozen or so operatives in jail with some stiff sentances and this will dry up to a trickle.

[SwinneySwitch]

South Texas ping!

[deport]

Since this is a primary election and the article didn't say I'll assume it's democrat Primary ballots that have been requested and manipulated....... If so, that brings to question which of the locals is doing this and for which democrat candidate?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

No kiddin ! Asking the voters in St. Louis and Chicago.

[MeekOneGOP]

Ballot requested for dead voter (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!

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks ! The slimy jerks ! ...

[SpookBrat]

OMGosh, can I have that picture please? I love it.