With multiple investigations of voter fraud underway in the Metroplex, a Democrat officeholder wants the Empower Texans’ bureau chief there investigated for reporting on the story.

Thousands of votes are possibly involved in an illegal vote harvesting scheme in Dallas County that mirrors similar fraud that appears to have disenfranchised Texans in neighboring Tarrant County. Empower Texans’ Metroplex bureau chief, Ross Kecseg, has been aggressively reporting on the unfolding story.

On Tuesday, Democrat officeholder David Espinosa of the Grand Prairie Independent School District posted on a private Facebook stream, obtained by Texas Scorecard, that he had filed a complaint against Kecseg for reporting on the issue.

“An official complaint has been filed with the elections department … it is being sent to the DA’s office,” Espinosa wrote in a post tagged as being “at Dallas County Elections” office.

The Dallas County District Attorney’s office has not yet responded to inquiries about the alleged complaint.

A week ago Kecseg named Espinosa in a public post about improper behavior in a Dallas County polling place. Kecseg had been serving as a poll watcher to be able to report firsthand on the actions of elections officials.

“A clerk on the signature verification committee last week during early voting refused to check signatures on the carrier envelopes if the voter was ‘assisted’ by David Espinosa or two other [vote] harvesters,” Kecseg reported. “I watched her pass them through and initial them without comparing signatures dozens of times.”

It is not surprising that Espinosa would attempt to criminalize poll watching and constitutionally protected speech.

The Texas Democrat Party did essentially the same thing in an unsuccessful attack against the Houston-based King Street Patriots, which organizes poll watching efforts. That case is now before the Texas Supreme Court, which has not yet ruled on the Democrats’ claims.

Empower Texans has taken a strong editorial position against government officials who use courts and regulatory agencies to attack the First Amendment rights of citizens. Government officials who attempt to weaponize courts and regulatory agencies against citizens can find themselves facing steep sanctions and personal liability.

Michael Quinn Sullivan

Michael Quinn Sullivan is the publisher of Texas Scorecard. He is a native Texan, a graduate of Texas A&M, and an Eagle Scout. Previously, he has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine contributor, Capitol Hill staffer, and think tank vice president. Michael and his wife have three adult children, a son-in-law, and a dog. Michael is the author of three books, including "Reflections on Life and Liberty."

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