FRIO COUNTY, Texas – Several elected officials in Frio County, including its county judge and two Pearsall city council members, are facing charges of vote harvesting — a third-degree felony.
On Monday, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended Rochelle Camacho from her position as Frio County Judge, more than a week after a grand jury indicted her in an alleged vote-harvesting scheme.
Camacho turned herself into the Frio County Jail on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.
FCSO deputies arrested five other suspects on May 2:
- Pearsall City Council member Ramiro Trevino on one count of vote harvesting
- Pearsall Independent School District board member Adriann Ramirez on three counts of vote harvesting
- Former Frio County Elections Administrator Carlos Segura on one count of tampering with evidence
- Pearsall City Council member Racheal Garza on one count of vote harvesting
- Rosa Rodriguez, who the 81st Judicial District Attorney said is an alleged vote harvester, on two counts of vote harvesting
What is vote harvesting?
Jon Taylor, Ph.D., Chair of the Political Science & Geography Department at UTSA, said vote harvesting is collecting completed absentee ballots from voters and delivering them to polling places or election offices in time for an election.
“It’s really ballot collection, and much of the ballot collection or ballot harvesting deals with completing absentee ballots. And both parties do it,” Taylor said. “That’s the ironic part here.”
The legislation has faced legal challenges.
According to the Texas Elections Code, a person commits vote harvesting if they, or a third party, knowingly provides or offers to compensate another person in exchange for vote harvesting.
Court records alleged that several of the suspects paid a woman, identified as Cheryl Denise Castillo, thousands of dollars for vote-harvesting services that targeted elderly voters. Public records show that the woman died in the fall.
“Several residents confirmed that Castillo picked up their ballot by mail, and in some instances advised them how they should vote their ballot,” according to court records.
Taylor said it’s challenging to prove that vote harvesting is happening.
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