The Real Election Interference: Ken Paxton's Tactics To Silence Texas Voters

Ken Paxton's role in the ongoing assault on voting rights in Texas.

Aug 26, 2024

January 6, 2021 - Ken Paxton, with wife Angela standing nearby, encourages insurrectionists in front of the White House shortly before the attempted coup.

In 2020, without evidence and in conjunction with Trump’s coup attempt, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to overturn the 2020 federal elections. There have been no consequences.

In 2022, Ken Paxton unsuccessfully tried to indict and jail Democratic election workers. There have been no consequences.

We can talk about a litany of allegations of crimes and corruption Paxton has faced over the years, each time he skates through consequence-free.

When Paxton was impeached in 2023 for accepting bribes and abuse of office in an act of nearly equal corruption, the Senate acquitted him despite the evidence backing up the charges. When they did that, they emboldened him to continue his reign of corruption and election tampering.

Paxton’s actions in South Texas last week are what Republicans call “election interference.”

By now, you’ve probably heard about the raids happening in Atascosa, Frio, and Bexar Counties—a story initially broken by Taylor Goldstein at the Houston Chronicle. Last week, Ken Paxton’s office executed search warrants at the homes of:

Three elderly ladies, all volunteers of LULAC, each in their 70s and 80s.
Democratic House candidate for HD80 Cecilia Castellano.
Manuel Medina, a former chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party and chief of staff to state Representative Liz Campos (D).

There were 12 search warrants in total. The others are presumed to be LULAC volunteers or Democratic activists.

Listen to what State Senator Roland Gutierrez had to say about the incident over the weekend:

He’s pissed. Rightfully so. Our Attorney General is once again using taxpayer dollars to bully and intimidate the most vulnerable among us.

The grandmother was present today at the LULAC press conference. She volunteers to help the elderly and veterans register to vote. Ken Paxton has accused her of “vote harvesting.” All of the accused have denied these charges.

Here was today’s press conference:

Where did these allegations come from?

According to Ken Paxton’s office, they came from the 81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Gossett Louis.

Here is DA Louis with Governor Greg Abbott and HD80 Republican candidate Don McLaughlin (the opponent of one of the people who was raided).

This photo appears to be from a campaign event for Don McLaughlin, also endorsed by Ken Paxton.

DA Louis has been in the news quite a bit recently. She barely scraped past a primary challenger, then had a petition dismissed. The petition alleged that DA Audrey Gossett Louis committed official oppression, jury tampering, and other violations.

According to Ken Paxton, in 2022, the Election Integrity Unit received a referral from the 81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Louis regarding allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting during the 2022 elections.

The three counties in which the raids were carried out:

Bexar County.

Bexar County is one of the most critical counties in the 2024 election for voter turnout in Texas. They stand not only to make Democratic gains, helping to the overall mission of flipping Texas, but they also have three State House seats, one State Senate Seat, and one Congressional seat that all can be flipped. But for that to happen, Bexar County Democrats must have a high turnout.

By targeting Democrats in Bexar County, Paxton is trying to scare people out of voting and getting involved. If Bexar County Democrats show up, they win, and Paxton knows this. Trying to scare them from showing up is the only move he has.

House District 80.

This district includes 100% of Atascosa County and 100% of Frio County.

The referral came from the Republican DA, who took pictures with the Republican candidate here, whom Ken Paxton also endorsed. They targeted this area and the Democratic candidate. It’s probably just a coincidence.

The voter turnout in these counties in 2020:

Bexar: 64%
Atascosa: 61%
Frio: 58%

The voter turnout in these counties in 2022:

Bexar: 43%
Atascosa: 42%
Frio: 40%

The only reason Republicans still hold office anywhere in Texas is because too many Texans don’t vote. Voter turnout is always bad for Republicans.

It should also be noted regarding these counties:

Bexar: 60% Hispanic
Atascosa: 63% Hispanic
Frio: 77% Hispanic

How are Ken Paxton’s actions voter intimidation?

The raids on the homes of elderly LULAC volunteers and a Democratic candidate send a message to others who might be considering getting involved in voter registration or election activities.

These individuals, who are respected and trusted members of their communities, were publicly targeted, implying that anyone could be next. This can discourage others from participating in democratic processes, like voting or volunteering, out of fear of being similarly targeted.

The raids are meant to erode trust in the electoral process’s fairness. If voters believe that the system is rigged against them or that participating in elections could make them a target for law enforcement, they may choose to abstain from voting altogether.

In America, voter intimidation targeting minority communities is as old as Jim Crow itself.

When the majority of the Republican base is hopped up over widely debunked conspiracy theories regarding elections, all a corrupt official would have to do is cry “voter integrity.”

LULAC is asking the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate Ken Paxton.

According to their earlier press advisory, LULAC is asking the US Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate Ken Paxton for abuse of the elderly and children and violations of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The years-long investigation by the FBI into Ken Paxton is ongoing.

Ken Paxton’s efforts are a continuation of a long-standing campaign by Texas Republicans to suppress voter turnout, particularly among minority communities.

These tactics are part of a broader strategy to maintain power in a state with rapidly shifting demographics. The very foundation of democracy is the right to vote, and when that right is threatened or undermined, it weakens the entire system.

There are 74 days left into the most important election of our lives. If you aren’t already involved, the time to do something is now.

Consider becoming a precinct chair.
Sign up for block-walking with your local candidate.
Volunteer to phone bank at your county party.
Do something!

Paxton’s actions remind us of the importance of voting—not just as an individual act but as a collective force that can resist efforts to suppress it. The stakes are higher than ever, and the response must be clear: voter intimidation cannot be allowed to stand.

Vote early, vote often, just vote.