A new election yielded new results in a Kaufman County primary rematch Saturday.
Challenger Tracy Booker Gray won the Republican nomination for Kaufman County Court at Law No. 1 over incumbent Dennis Jones in a July 21 do-over election. A judge ordered a new election after finding voter fraud and other irregularities tainted the outcome of the March 6 primary.
Unofficial results show Gray won the new election by 404 votes, 2,253 to 1,849 (55 to 45 percent). Voter turnout in the contentious rematch was 26 percent — unusually high for a local special election.
In March, Jones was declared the Republican primary winner by a one-vote margin. Gray had received more in-person votes, but Jones received 402 mail-ballot votes compared to Gray’s 259.
Gray contested the March primary results, alleging multiple mail-in ballots were illegally filled out and submitted by a vote harvester, and provisional ballots that should have been counted were rejected.
Gray presented evidence that Brenda Prince, a long-time Democrat Party activist and known vote harvester in the city of Terrell, had illegally assisted or coerced multiple voters, and had requested and submitted mail-in ballots without voters’ knowledge or direction. The number of fraudulent votes cast exceeded the margin of victory, making it impossible to determine the true outcome of the election.
After reviewing the evidence and hearing witness testimony, a district judge ordered a new election. Jones was not accused of any wrongdoing.
Watchdog organization Direct Action Texas filed election fraud complaints with the Texas Secretary of State in April, detailing 47 counts of fraudulent mail-in ballot assistance by Prince and others in Kaufman County.
No Democrat is running for Kaufman County Court at Law No. 1, so Gray will take office in January.
