Texas AG Ken Paxton Announces Major Update In Sprawling Election Fraud Probe

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office executed search warrants in one of the state's Democratic Party strongholds as part of a sprawling investigation into allegations of voter fraud.

On Tuesday, state investigators conducted searches in Bexar County, the states fourth most populous county and the home of San Antonio. Paxton announced that the searches were authorized as a result of a two-year investigation into allegations of election fraud.

"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 that occurred during the 2022 elections. The subsequent two-year investigation provided sufficient evidence to obtain the search warrants in furtherance of the ongoing investigation," Paxton's office wrote in a press release.

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The statement added that election integrity will remain a top priority for the attorney general's office as the pivotal November elections near.

"Secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic," Paxton said. "We were glad to assist when the District Attorney referred this case to my office for investigation. 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." 

Tuesday's searches were carried out as part of a probe into election fraud and illegal vote harvesting during the 2022 midterm elections.

Texas state law allows for only certain individuals to drop off a ballot for another person. This deviates from a number of other states that have mail-in drop boxes, which allow people to collect and drop off mail-in ballots.

It is unclear exactly how many warrants were signed, as a number of them remain under seal.

Local outlet News For San Antonio reported that at least one of the searches took place at a private residence. The report also featured a quote from Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen, who said she found out about the warrants through the media. When asked whether investigators searched the main county elections office, she said they had not.