The people of Texas have long valued honesty, hard work, and the rule of law. That’s why the latest news about widespread election fraud in South Texas is so troubling. Fifteen individuals now face serious criminal charges for what appears to be a coordinated scheme to steal votes. This is not just a local scandal—it’s a warning to the entire country. When elections are rigged, the people lose their voice, and liberty itself is put in danger.
Among those charged is Cecilia Castellano, a former Democrat candidate for the Texas House. She ran in 2024 to represent District 80, which stretches from southwest San Antonio to Laredo. Instead of earning the trust of the voters through honest campaigning, she now stands accused of trying to win through vote harvesting—an illegal practice where people collect and submit ballots on behalf of others, often without their full knowledge or consent.
But Castellano is not alone. Other defendants include former mayors, school board members, and even a sitting county commissioner. One of the most well-known is Juan Manuel Medina, a former Bexar County Democrat Party Chair and past San Antonio mayoral candidate. He now faces two counts of vote harvesting. There’s also Petra Davina Trevino, the former mayor of Pearsall, and Inelda Rodriguez, a former Dilley council member. These are not outsiders—they are public officials who were supposed to serve their communities. Instead, they are accused of betraying the very people who trusted them.
The investigation has been led by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, working with the 81st Judicial District Attorney’s Office. It is clear from the scope of the indictments that this was not the work of a few bad apples. This was a network. And it may have operated for years, undermining faith in the ballot box and silencing the will of honest voters.
Some of the accused, and their lawyers, have tried to dismiss the charges as politically motivated. They point fingers at Attorney General Ken Paxton, calling it harassment. But the law is not harassment. It is the foundation of a free society. If someone believes they are innocent, they can prove it in court. That’s the American way. But to brush off serious charges as if they don’t matter is to insult every honest citizen who casts a legal vote.
Let’s be clear: vote harvesting is not a victimless crime. It robs people of their right to a fair election. It replaces the voice of the people with the schemes of political operatives. For years, conservatives have warned about the dangers of ballot manipulation. We were told it was a myth. We were mocked for demanding voter ID laws and secure mail-in voting processes. But here we are, with a growing list of indictments proving that the threat is very real.
This case also shows why states must have the power to set and enforce their own election laws. The federal government has no business telling Texas how to run its elections. Texans know best how to protect Texas elections. And under President Trump’s leadership, we are seeing renewed efforts to defend election integrity from the ground up.
The left will call these prosecutions an attack on Hispanic political power. But that claim insults the Hispanic voters of South Texas, who deserve honest elections just like everyone else. This is not about race or party. It’s about right and wrong.
We must remember what our Founders believed: that government gets its powers from the consent of the governed. Without fair elections, there is no consent. And without consent, there is no liberty.
The people of Texas—and the nation—should thank the investigators who are shining a light on this corruption. Now it’s up to the courts to do their job. And it’s up to us, the citizens, to stay informed, demand accountability, and defend the integrity of our elections—one vote at a time.
