State and local authorities have charged a social worker in a state-supported living center with 134 felony counts related to election fraud, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office revealed today.
Kelly Reagan Brunner is accused of submitting voter registration applications for 67 residents of the Mexia State Supported Living Center, a home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, without their signature or effective consent.
“Registering citizens to vote or to obtain mail ballots without their consent is illegal,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the fraud charges.
“It is particularly offensive when individuals purport to be champions for disability rights, when in reality they are abusing our most vulnerable citizens in order to gain access to their ballots and amplify their own political voice. My office is prepared to assist any Texas county in combating this insidious form of fraud.”
Paxton said his Election Fraud Unit assisted local authorities with the case.
“I strongly commend the Limestone County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and Elections Office, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General for their outstanding work on this case and their commitment to ensuring a free and fair presidential election in the face of unprecedented voter fraud,” Paxton said.
Under Texas law, only a parent, spouse, or child who is a qualified voter of the county can act as an agent in registering a person to vote, and they must be appointed by the person to do so.
Paxton said none of the living center residents gave effective consent to be registered to vote, and a number have been declared totally mentally incapacitated by a court, making them ineligible to vote in Texas.
If convicted, Brunner faces up to 10 years in prison.
