Why I think the Sheriff's Run-off Race is Still Suspect!

     My investigation revealed that none of the required laws written to make sure that elections in the State of Texas are run properly were followed.  Sure some of the laws are directory which means that they are "laws that lead" the election officials to the proper path to make sure that the "mandatory laws" or "laws that are required" to run a fair and legal election are met.  In this case, none of the laws either "directory" or "mandatory" were followed, and this is why I say the election is still suspect.

     We are a "democratic society" which means that the people elect the officials who make the laws and then enforce them.  If the people do not monitor the elected officials to make sure they are following the "rules of law" then who is going too!  If our officials can make laws that we have to follow, but they do not, then we are for sure not living in a democratic society. 

     The laws of the State of Texas dealing with elections are very specific about what should be done.  These laws were not followed, and even though the ballots can be accounted for, the security of the ballots during and after the election is still suspect.  Every ballot box must be checked and sealed by locks, and serial numbered seals much like the one on your electric meter on both the "hatch end" or the end where the ballots are removed for counting, and the "deposit slot" where you the voter deposit your ballot through the small slot.  When the boxes leave the County Clerks office before the election, the seals "must" be affixed according to law, and the Serial numbers of those seals "must" be recorded for later verification. 

     When the "deposit end" seal is broken, the seal must be inspected before it is broken, and recorded, and the broken seal saved by the election judge at the polling location, so that records are available for later verification  When the voting process is over,  the election judge must reseal the "deposit slot" and the seal number verified by 2 people, and then record it in the records for later verification. Two people are supposed to "by law" then deliver the ballot box back to the counting station, or in this case the County Clerks Office, with no stops made in between the polling place and the counting station.

     When the ballot box reaches the counting station, there is an election judge on that end who "must" verify the serial number of the seal on the "hatch end" of the box from the record made earlier of the serial number, and the "deposit slot" from the serial number record that the election judge and the witnesses made at the polling station.  If the serial numbers all "match" then the election judge records the serial numbers of both seals again.  Then the judge may break the seals, and remove the ballots from the box, again saving the seals for later verification.

     The early voting box is what caught our eye in this investigation, because there was no record of any seals affixed.  The box should have had 2 separate locks, one on the "hatch" end and one on the "deposit slot" end.  The keys should have been different, and the "hatch" end should have been held by the county auditor who is the custodian of the keys to the ballot boxes in this particular election until the box is ready to be counted on election night.  The "deposit slot"  key should have been held by the Election Judge in charge of the Polling Location.  The seals should have been affixed and recorded as described above, but in the early voting box, there should have been a seal affixed to the "deposit slot" end at the end of each voting day, and recorded each voting day with the broken seal saved for later verification.  The early voting box should have been secured at night in a secured location where everyone does not have keys to get to it.  It was not done this way.  There were no seals, only locks, and the keys to the lock was not secured away from the early voting box, and there was no seal to make sure there was no tampering. 

     "Why," you ask is is so important to affix seals and secure the box?  It is important because if you can get to the box, and the key to the deposit slot, and there is no seal affixed and recorded.  You can open the slot with the key, and shake the box like a piggy bank and tamper with the ballots inside.  If the box is secured, and sealed then everyone knows by the records and the seals that there was no tampering.  They cannot "prove" to me that something like this did not occur because the box was left sitting in the county clerks office with only a lock, no tamper proof seal and the key in an unsecured location in the same office.  How many people have keys to the annex, and the County Clerks Office?  I have heard that they have more keys out there floating around than fleas on a coyote. I even hear that the "inmate" Jason Meredith has keys to all the buildings and offices that he carries with him at all times.  You see my point?  Does it make you suspect?

     In this election, none of this was done in the manner prescribed by the "Texas Election Code", so there was no security to say that someone definitely did not "tamper" with the ballots.  This makes the election suspect, even if the ballots were all accounted for!!

     The Registry of Official Ballots is also a mandatory but all of us know that those were not done properly either.  They record the serial numbers of the ballots and show an accounting of the ballots that "must" be done according to the Texas Election Code, which is the "rule of law."    I have about 300 pages of Evidence that shows what was and what was not done, and am considering posting it for all of you to see.  If you want to see it, let me know if you want me to go to the trouble.

    I agree with Mark Lesher that the County Clerks office did a exemplary job in producing the requested documentation in this investigation even if most all of it did not exist properly, and the "math of the election did not add up",  but if the County Clerk and the Election Judges and officials had run the election according to the Texas Election Code in the first place,  there would have been no doubt, no Petition, no hearing, and all of those hundreds of hours of time and effort on "our" part or the "County Clerks office" to make sure the election was proper, even though the "law" was not followed.

    "I personally am not satisfied completely beyond a doubt about this election.  The "Law" needs to be followed in this county on more than just elections.  Is this county "law abiding"?  Are our elected officials "law abiding"?  If you think that the answer is "NO" then we need to speak out and let them know.  We need to hold them accountable to the "laws of the State of Texas", because if we do not,  are we able to say that we "Live in a Democracy"?

    If our Elected Officials do not bother to follow the laws on something as simple as an election, are they following the laws on more important things like "Murder", "Rape", "Drugs" etc.  Do you feel comfortable living here if none of our elected officials bother to follow the laws?  Do you feel that just because they have "Always done it this way in Red River County!" that they should keep doing it this way?   We all need to tell them that we do not like the way they are doing business, and that they should follow the law or get the hell out and let someone who will, do the job.  This includes any elected official be they County Clerk, County Judge, Sheriff, District/County Attorney "VVExpress", District Judges, District Clerk, and any appointed or elected official that I have forgotten to mention.  We need people running our government who are willing to do what is right and legal, not nepotism, favoritism, or just because they have always done it this way!!!  If your tired of the B.S. don't hesitate to tell them you are!!!

Remember also what was said by Mark Perkins that "We will do anything and everything to keep Royce Abbott from becoming Sheriff of Red River County!!!!!

Now you know why the saying about Red River County "If you want to get away with Murder do it in Red River County" is out there!!! 

Smells just a little rotten, doesn't it?  

F.Y.I.  We dropped the Law Suit because if we could not change the outcome of the election, then there was no way any judge would overturn it, and even though the "LAW" of the State of Texas was not followed, the ballots were all there, and there was no proof that the outcome could be changed.  If you do not understand what I am saying, e-mail me at rrpolitics@bowie-cass.com .