A visiting judge has overturned the results of the November 2023 Edinburg City Council election, declaring Gerardo “Gerry” Lozano the rightful winner over incumbent David White, myRGV.com reported.
The lawsuit, brought forward by challenger Gerardo “Gerry” Lozano, contested the narrow victory of incumbent David White, alleging widespread irregularities, including illegal assistance to voters and the use of fake addresses in voter registrations.
The central issue in Lozano’s suit involved allegations against ‘politiqueras’, paid campaign workers accused of illegally aiding voters both in-person and through mail-in ballots. Some accusations extended to voters allegedly using fake addresses on their voter registrations.
The court’s findings revealed that these politiqueras assisted numerous voters who did not meet the legal criteria for such help. According to myRGV, citing Texas Election Code, assistance at the polls is strictly reserved for voters who are either illiterate or physically incapable of filling out ballots on their own. This assistance can extend to physically disabled voters eligible for curbside voting.
In his ruling, Senior Judge Jose Manuel Bañales confirmed that several voters received unlawful help filling out their ballots and participated in unauthorized curbside voting. Notably, the judge highlighted instances of individuals voting curbside from a van, despite being physically able to enter the polling place.
After conducting a three-day bench trial, Judge Bañales determined that more than a dozen illegal votes had been cast for incumbent David White, surpassing his narrow victory margin.
Hellbound and Down 