Frio County Officials Charged with Election Fraud Scheme

Multiple current and former Frio County officials, including the county judge, city council members, and an elections administrator, have been arrested or indicted for allegedly participating in a vote-harvesting scheme targeting elderly voters at a local nursing home. The accusations stem from an investigation launched after a 2022 complaint by a candidate who lost the county judge race, alleging that the incumbent and associates paid for the collection and delivery of absentee ballots. Indictment records detail that suspects exchanged money, food, and jobs for vote-harvesting services, and used apps like Cash App for payments. Charges against the officials include vote harvesting—a process where someone interacts with voters to secure ballots for a specific candidate—and tampering with evidence, both classified as third-degree felonies. All six accused have bonded out of jail as the Texas Attorney General's Office continues its investigation. Details from court documents also allege that the former elections administrator tampered with documents to obstruct the inquiry.