Elections Mishaps: If it weren't so bad, it'd be funny

The Webb County Elections office is once again making the news for all the wrong reasons. The integrity of this elecion is already in doubt.  It would be a good thing if we could get the Texas Secreatry of State come down here and straighten out the whole mess. 

This is part of what makes Laredo look bad: dubious ethics and shenanigans abound throughout our local governments. Be it the school districts, the city or the county, there's a thread of incompetence that's only getting worse. Oh well, que esperas ?

From today's LMT

Some voters received and cast ballots for races outside their districts, Webb County Elections Administrator Oscar Villarreal told media in an email Friday afternoon.

It is unclear which races, districts or polling places were affected.

Villarreal did not return phone calls as of late Friday.

He wrote in the email that the elections office had received “many calls from voters stating that they belonged in a different school district or council member district than what appeared on their ballot.

“On most of these, there were no issues,” he wrote in the email.

“The voter was just unaware that their school or council member district had changed after redistricting.

“But on others, there were issues that were discovered that had to be corrected and unfortunately, it was also discovered that some of these voters had, in fact, received and voted a ballot with the wrong district.”

Silverado Martinez, local attorney and Webb County Democratic Party chair, said although he was not privy to the legal ramifications of the issues, it is likely voters could not cast their ballots again.