The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) called the Texas attorney general’s indictments a “calculated campaign of (voter) intimidation.”
FRIO COUNTY, Texas — A visiting judge in Frio County entered not-guilty pleas for the six suspects charged with vote harvesting amid an ongoing state-led elections integrity investigation.
The defendants include Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho, the county’s former election administrator two Pearsall City Council members, a Pearsall ISD school board member and another individual.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges the group was part of a coordinated effort collect ballots for certain candidates in exchange for compensation, which is a third-degree felony according to state law.
Friday’s court proceeding comes months after a federal judge ruled that part of Texas’ 2021 voting law known as Senate Bill 1 was unconstitutional. But amid an appeal, the Frio County case is allowed to move forward.
Carlos Segura, the former Frio County election administrator, was not present at the arraignment, although the visiting judge from Bexar County acknowledged the defendant’s waiver and entered a not guilty plea.
Segura is accused of tampering with evidence as it relates to providing ballot-tracking data to two women currently being investigated for their alleged involvement in securing votes for specific candidates for the Pearsall ISD School Board and Frio County Commissioners Court.
As it relates to Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho, it’s unknown who exactly she allegedly paid for vote harvesting services.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) convened with the defendants and their legal counsel after the short court proceeding, expressing strong opposition to the Texas AG’s investigation.
“What we are witnessing here today is what we feel is a calculated campaign of intimidation, an effort to criminalize legal civic participation,” said LULAC National President Roman Palomares. “Discrediting Latino leaders before they have even had a chance to defend themselves in a court of law is obviously intended to intimidate and chill future legal voter assistance.”
LULAC’s David Cruz argues reputations of public officials have been unjustly tarnished.
“It erodes public trust. It also erodes our trust in the judicial system of the state of Texas that seems to be on a campaign that is being waged on allegations not facts,” said David Cruz, LULAC’s national communications director.
Defense attorney Albert Flores, who is representing election worker Rosa Galvan Rodriguez, admits he’s skeptical about the validity of the state’s case because of the federal ruling that deemed SB 1 unconstitutional.
“We intend to fight this all the way,” Flores said. “I think there are better things and maybe better ways to use their resources than to be picking on people in a very small town that I believe are doing their civic duty in trying to get people to vote.”
The next pretrial court hearing in Frio County is set for July 10.