Texas Charges 6 Over Alleged Vote Harvesting

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas on June 22, 2017. Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued indictments for six individuals allegedly involved in election crimes related to vote harvesting.

In a May 7 statement, Paxton outlined the grand jury indictments leading to the six May 2 arrests, saying that the purported crimes took place in Frio County, Texas.

The charges stemmed from an investigation that started in August 2024, when multiple search warrants were executed in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar Counties due to allegations of vote harvesting.

The majority of those arrested were charged with vote harvesting, a third-degree felony offense that involves a monetary exchange for collecting and submitting others’ absentee ballots.

Some of the officials have been accused of using the Cash App to pay for the votes harvested.

“The people of Texas deserve fair and honest elections, not backroom deals and political insiders rigging the system. Elected officials who think they can cheat to stay in power will be held accountable. No one is above the law,” Paxton said.

“My office will continue to work with Frio County District Attorney Audrey Louis to protect the integrity of our elections.”

At the time the warrants were served, one of the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organizations, the League of United Latin American Citizens, called the attorney general’s actions an effort in voter suppression.

“This is voter suppression 101,” he said. “There’s no vote harvesting going on. There’s nobody creating these ballots. That’s a lie.”

Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho was indicted on three counts of vote harvesting, and former Frio County Elections Administrator Carlos Segura faces one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Pearsall City Council members Ramiro Trevino and Racheal Garza were each indicted on one count of vote harvesting.

Pearsall ISD Trustee Adriann Ramirez was indicted on three counts of vote harvesting, and Rosa Rodriguez, an alleged vote harvester in Frio County, was indicted on two counts of vote harvesting.

The recent arrests are part of a multi-year effort by Paxton to address voter fraud following the 2020 election.

A Texas woman, Raquel Rodriguez, was arrested in January 2021 after she was caught on camera bragging about her ability to deliver thousands of votes for cash.

Four more individuals were arrested a month later on 150 counts of voter fraud related to the 2018 primary election, according to a statement from Paxton’s office at the time.

In June 2022, indictments from Paxton’s office led to a Port Lavaca woman’s guilty plea on 26 felony counts of voter fraud.

“Secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic,” Paxton said last year following the execution of the search warrants.

“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.”