August 30, 2024 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and California’s former Secretary of State, called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division to investigate the recent targeted raids of several Latino voting rights organizers, officials, and candidates by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s election integrity unit.

Last week, Attorney General Paxton conducted raids into the homes of a number of Latino voting rights volunteers, a Latino elected official, and a Latino candidate for state office. Among those individuals whose homes were raided were an 87-year-old League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) member named Lydia Martinez, who was interrogated for hours beginning at 6 a.m., Cecilia Castellano, a candidate for the Texas State House, and Mary Ann Obregón, the Mayor of Dilley, Texas.

Paxton’s office’s announcement claims that he conducted a two-year investigation following a referral from a local District Attorney which cited “allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting that occurred during the 2022 elections.” However, decades of research and investigations have uncovered almost no evidence of voter fraud throughout U.S. history, and this raid fits into a larger trend of weaponizing the government, including law enforcement, to intimidate voters of color.

“[T]hese nebulous allegations of voter fraud being pursued by the Texas Attorney General’s Office fit into a long history of weaponizing the government to suppress the vote and intimidate voters of color in our country,” wrote the Senators. “The decision to target only Latino candidates and voting rights organizers, including elderly volunteers dedicated to helping their community exercise their rights, demonstrates that this is just the latest attempt to scare minority communities out of using their political voice.”

“In a matter of months, American voters will participate in a federal election to decide their president, Senators, and members of Congress. Early voting in some states begins as soon as next month,” continued the Senators. “Choosing to not only conduct these targeted raids but to heavily publicize them by citing — with no evidence — ‘allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting’ so close to a general election already mired in partisan fighting and fear of violence against voters and election workers is greatly concerning.”

In addition to Senator Padilla, Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) also signed the letter.

The Senators requested a response from DOJ by September 12, 2024.

Padilla recently introduced legislation to address the significant impact that election administration-related disinformation, made more pervasive with the use of Artificial Intelligence, has on communities of color. Earlier this year, he introduced bicameral legislation to improve voter registration efforts at naturalization ceremonies. Padilla is also a staunch supporter of the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation he and Senate Democrats introduced to improve access to the ballot for Americans, advance commonsense federal election standards and campaign finance reforms, and protect our democracy.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Assistant Attorney General Clarke:

We write to urge the Civil Rights Division to investigate possible violations of constitutional civil rights protections and federal law by the Texas Attorney General’s Office with regard to recent targeted raids against a number of Latino voting rights organizers, candidates for office, and volunteers.

As United States Senators, no one understands better than we do the importance of election integrity and ensuring a safe and fair election this coming November. But decades of research and investigations have made clear that voter fraud is exceedingly rare and that the vast majority of allegations of fraud turn out to be entirely baseless.

It is equally clear that these nebulous allegations of voter fraud being pursued by the Texas Attorney General’s Office fit into a long history of weaponizing the government to suppress the vote and intimidate voters of color in our country. The decision to target only Latino candidates and voting rights organizers, including elderly volunteers dedicated to helping their community exercise their rights, demonstrates that this is just the latest attempt to scare minority communities out of using their political voice.

What is particularly alarming is the timing of these raids in Texas. In a matter of months, American voters will participate in a federal election to decide their president, Senators, and members of Congress. Early voting in some states begins as soon as next month. Choosing to not only conduct these targeted raids but to heavily publicize them by citing—with no evidence—“allegations of election fraud and vote harvesting” so close to a general election already mired in partisan fighting and fear of violence against voters and election workers is greatly concerning.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is tasked with upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the United States. That task is rarely more important than during an election year when the right to vote must be fiercely guarded, particularly for our vulnerable voting communities.

Therefore, we urge the Department to investigate the Texas Attorney General’s troubling raids against Latino individuals in Texas and to work diligently this election cycle to prevent the unlawful suppression of the vote and intimidation of voters.

We respectfully request your response by September 12, 2024.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla