Chairman of Texas Democratic Party Alleges Voter Fraud

EDINBURG, TX - Gilberto Hinojosa, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, has filed a lawsuit alleging voter fraud in Hidalgo County in South Texas, according to a report from the Maverick Times News in Eagle Pass.

The lawsuit follows a closely contested Democratic primary runoff for Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 1, where Sonia Trevino was declared the winner with 4,233 votes - a mere 31 votes more than her opponent, Ramon Segovia.

It has often been stated by Democrats the last few years that questioning the results of an election is a threat to democracy, so it's hard to escape the irony here.

The Texas Democratic Party even supports mail-in voting and the repeal of voter ID laws, both of which undermine election integrity.

Most Americans would surely agree, however, that voter fraud is the real threat to democracy, and investigating claims of suspicious election activity is the right thing to do.

It bolsters citizens' confidence in their election process.

We'll have to wait and see what comes of these latest allegations. Unfortunately, this isn't the only disputed election in the Rio Grande Valley.

In addition to Segovia, Hinojosa is also representing Edinburg city council candidate Gerry Lozano, whose election results were recently thrown out by a judge after it was determined campaign workers illegally assisted in casting ballots for Lozano's opponent, David White.

That's why having safeguards for elections is so important, to prevent elections from being stolen.

However, Hinojosa was on the other side of voter fraud allegations a decade ago when his client, Lupe Rivera, won a 2013 election for a spot on the Weslaco City Commission by 16 votes over Letty Lopez.

A visiting judge ruled in 2014 that some of the votes for Rivera were cast illegally and ordered a new election to be held as soon as possible.

Legal maneuvering prevented that reelection from being held until 2017.

When the election was finally held again, Lopez was name the winner while Hinojosa's client, Rivera, faced criminal charges.