Bell County Commissioner Louie Minor may be facing criminal charges after he was caught inside multiple polling locations during the March primary elections.
Texas Election Code Section 61.001 prohibits “bystanders” in polling places while voting activities are being conducted.
Violations are a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Local Republican Party Elections Director, Jeff Howard, submitted evidence to Bell County Attorney James Nicols this week documenting Minor’s unlawful presence inside six polling sites “for purposes other than voting.”
Howard asked Nicols to investigate and bring charges against Minor as warranted.
“Commissioner Minor is not a member of the Bell County Elections Commission, and is not recognized as a person who can be lawfully present in a polling site per TEC 61.001,” wrote Howard.
Howard told Nicols the statements he gathered from election judges indicated that Minor, a Democrat, entered the polling places to “offer assistance.” Howard noted that two of the six voting sites were not within Minor’s commissioner district, Precinct 4.
“My only intent is to protect the integrity of our elections process in Bell County,” Howard told Texas Scorecard. “A commissioner’s presence at the polls can be seen as a form of intimidation, and our elected officials need to be held to a higher standard and accountable.”
Texas Scorecard has reached out to Commissioner Minor for comment and has asked the Bell County Attorney’s Office to confirm if an investigation is being conducted. No responses were received before publication.
