Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced election fraud charges on Friday against Kelly Reagan Brunner, a social worker in an assisted living center who submitted voter registration applications for dozens of residents in the facility without their consent.
She was charged with 134 felony counts and faces up to 10 years in prison.
“Brunner submitted voter registration applications for 67 residents without their signature or effective consent, while purporting to act as their agent,” according to the attorney general’s office. “Under Texas law, only a parent, spouse or child who is a qualified voter of the county may act as an agent in registering a person to vote, after being appointed to do so by that person. None of the SSLC patients gave effective consent to be registered, and a number of them have been declared totally mentally incapacitated by a court, thereby making them ineligible to vote in Texas.”
The Mexia State Supported Living Center where Brunner worked serves “people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
“I strongly commend the Limestone County District Attorney's Office, Sheriff’s Office, and Elections Office, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General for their outstanding work on this case and their commitment to ensuring a free and fair Presidential election in the face of unprecedented voter fraud,” Paxton said in a statement. “Registering citizens to vote or to obtain mail ballots without their consent is illegal. It is particularly offensive when individuals purport to be champions for disability rights, when in reality they are abusing our most vulnerable citizens in order to gain access to their ballots and amplify their own political voice. My office is prepared to assist any Texas county in combating this insidious form of fraud.”
In Texas, we will prosecute voter fraud to the fullest extent of the law. #electionfraud pic.twitter.com/SKH42ZeFRI
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) November 7, 2020
Gov. Greg Abbott affirmed "election fraud is real" and in Texas, they do something about it.
Election fraud is real.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 6, 2020
In Texas, we investigate and prosecute it.
Today a Limestone County social worker was charged with 134 felony counts involving election fraud.
All states must take election fraud seriously to ensure confidence in elections.https://t.co/NpeQodIyDi