The politiquera on the other side of the line was breathless with indignation.
"Andan dando sobresitos cerrados con una carta de Aurora De la Garza asustando a la gente (Begum's people are giving out closed envelopes with Aurora De la Garza's name scaring people) and telling them they'll get thrown in jail if they don't go to court tomorrow," she accused.
She is a well known Ernie Hernandez supporter who was active in getting out the mail-in and early walk-in vote for her daughter Erin Hernandez Garcia's campaign to finish the unexpired term of the late Tony Torres.
Even after I explained to her that under judicial rule, both sides of a contest are authorized to issue subpoenas compelling witnesses to appear and testify, she was adamant that Yolanda Begum's supporters and process servers were doing something illegal.And I told her that to interfere with the process serving or to counsel people who had been served not to appear could be interpreted as obstruction of justice.
In the last election contest between Ernie Hernandez and Ruben Peña for Cameron County Pct. 2 commissioner, witnesses say that some of those people cited to appear mysteriously left town and the constables could not find their whereabouts. That helped to doom Peña's contesting the election through what the court recognized as obvious voter fraud Only 49 votes separated the winner from the loser in that contest. Peña was able to disqualify 42 votes, but deadlines to print ballots and other time considerations stymied his quest.
On the flip side, some of Begum's supporter called to say that politiqueras associated with Hernandez had gone to the Brownsville Housing Authority's 14-story High-Rise on St. Charles to urge those elderly and disabled voters who were cited to appear not to go the the Tuesday 10 a.m. trial."If you go over there you can get their picture," they said.
The fact of the matter is that Begum's lawyers issued some 70 subpoenas after documenting questionable ballots cast by the elderly and the mentally-incapacitated voters in the July 31 runoff for the position after Begum prevailed over Hernandez, her closest rival, by some 500 votes in the May 29 primary.
The discrepancies and potential illegalities that were unearthed during the runoff elections was what triggered the court contest. Begum's supporters and legal reps charged in their lawsuit that they would prove that Hernandez's cadre of politiqueros and politiqueras literally kidnapped the elderly and mentally-incapacitated voters and held them captive in campaign propaganda-laden vans and then coerced them to vote for Erin Hernandez.
Pictuers provided to local bloggers seem to bear out their allegations. And a police report filed by local political mover Zeke Silva indicated that some proof existed that the Hernandez camp was taking elderly without their consent to the voting polls.
They also said that they would prove that numerous state election code laws were violated by the Hernandez camp in soliciting, manipulating and carrying off mail-in ballots that they filled out for some elderly and illiterate voters. They vowed that they would present the evidence in court for the world to see.
That, in turn, set off the Hernandez and the politiqueras complaining that Begum was crying "sour grapes" with her complaints and would not have filed the lawsuit if she had won. Hernandez was declared the winner by 152 votes.
Now, as the court showdown looms on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the 357th District Court, the hidden war will become a forum for Cameron County democracy for the public to see warts and all.
11 comments:
I'll testiefy for a chicken plate
GO BEGUM
Way too much corruption in our courts. Limas, Villalobos, when is enough enough in this town
At the beginning I decided that I would cast my one insignificant vote for Erin because I truly believed that she was the most qualified for the office of justice of peace. Instead however I ended voting for Yolanda Begum because I could not stomach and reward Erin for her and her family's immoral, shameful and unlawful conduct in soliciting the elderly vote. I realize now that a candidate who runs for public office with integrity and a good moral compus is undoubtedly the better qualified to serve.
Cameron County politics as usual....Corruption uber alles. Elected officials in Cameron County, for the most part, are part of the problem and none have the "huevos" to stand against corruption. Why, they are all to busy serving themselves at tax payers expense. Time to get rid of Aurora de la Garza and her klan...a major root of judicial corruption.
And how do you feel about a cry baby who now decided to harass these so called elderly who were tacken advantage of. If they are so cencerned about them being victimized and not their own personal gain why did they have over140 of their own. if they really care about them why do they not care about dragging them to testify. Yolanda is a sore looser who cares more about her ego than anyone else. I she had gotten her lazy ass out of bed before noon she might of won.
You are shameless Erin, or Norma whoever posted this last comment, but you are not going to win in November, God works in misterious ways, Raul Lopez will reap the benefits of Begum's hard work for the last year she campaigned, and you might still go to jail
This is why people are not motivated to vote. Why vote if my vote dosen't count. Que linda democracia!
Como quiera esta Fea la marrana. How do you let yourself go so much, so young??
she is just plain ugly, nothing she can do about it, and uglier inside
These are criminal acts by a family of criminals. The IRS caught Ernie, that other one the killer is in jail. how much longer it's Norma and Erin's turn
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