To increase the pool of ballots needed to swing the race in Commissioner Shannon Brown’s favor, Brown, along with Marlena Jackson, Charlie Burns, and DeWayne Ward targeted young, able-bodied voters to cast ballots by mail by fraudulently claiming the voters were “disabled,” in most cases without the voters’ knowledge or consent.
The AG’s office said, under Texas election law, mail ballots based on disability are specifically reserved for those who are physically ill and cannot vote in-person as a result.
In total, the state filed 134 felony charges against the four defendants, including engaging in organized election fraud, illegal voting, fraudulent use of an application for a mail-in ballot, unlawful possession of a mail-in ballot, tampering with a governmental record and election fraud.
Penalties range from six months in state jail to 99 years in prison.
