After a years-long investigation into a ballot harvesting operation targeting Texans over the age of 65, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that he has made an arrest in Starr County.
After the 2022 general election, Paxton opened an investigation into ballot harvesting, a term used for the collection of completed absentee ballots from voters and delivering them to polling places or election offices. However, while the practice has increased voter participation, there are many concerns around the practice, including a ballot being altered or a voter feeling pressured to vote a certain way. Other concerns include a collector influencing a voter’s choice by assisting them with filling it out, as well as a lack of oversight, making the chain of custody hard to track.
On Wednesday, Paxton announced that Modesta Vela in Starr County was arrested on September 4 for operating an illegal ballot harvesting scheme during the 2022 general election. According to the indictment, Vela allegedly filled out a ballot of a voter who was not a relative and mailed it in for the person.
According to Paxton, Vela “intentionally and knowingly” influenced a “Texan’s vote in the presence of the ballot during the voting process, which is an offense punishable as a state jail felony.”
“Though liberals and the left-wing media like to pretend otherwise, we know that election fraud is real and a serious threat,” said Paxton. “Criminals trying to steal our elections and rig the democratic process will be found, arrested, and prosecuted. Modesta Vela was trying to take advantage of voters and broke the law by illegally ballot harvesting and targeting a Texan seeking to engage in our elections. Now, it’s time for Vela to answer for her actions in court.”
Ballot harvesting, depending on the charge, can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for a third-degree felony. Other penalties for election fraud, such as ballot harvesting can range from state jail felonies to first-degree felonies.