Texas AG Executes Search Warrants In Election Probe
Texas Attorney General investigators executed search warrants across multiple counties this week, including Bexar County, as part of an ongoing election integrity probe — and the timing has intensified scrutiny around several high-profile local races.
Among those served was political consultant Joann Ramon, who is involved in multiple campaigns, including County Judge Peter Sakai’s race against former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. While the search warrants relate to a broader investigation by the Attorney General’s Election Integrity Division, a separate issue involving mail ballot applications has now added another layer of controversy.
Bexar County Elections Administrator Michelle Carew confirmed that hundreds of mail ballot applications were rejected due to missing required information. Specifically, applications lacked a checked box indicating whether the voter was requesting a Democratic or Republican primary ballot and whether the voter wanted ballots for the entire election cycle.
According to Carew, the rejected applications came from mail ballot request packets distributed by Nirenberg’s campaign.
Nirenberg’s campaign consultant, Dr. Laura Barberena, acknowledged the issue in a statement, explaining that the application form was incomplete because of a missing checkbox. She said the campaign acted quickly after being notified.
“Our application was incomplete due to a missing check box. Immediately upon learning of this, we contacted the Elections Department and called and texted every voter who received our application to ensure they could reapply for a ballot before the deadline,” Barberena said.
The situation underscores a recurring tension in Texas elections: while campaigns often send pre-filled or customized mail ballot applications to boost turnout, even minor formatting changes can create compliance problems.
San Antonio political consultant Veronica Gonzalez warned that campaign-customized forms can inadvertently create hurdles for voters.
“The problem with candidates and campaigns customizing these applications for voters to request their ballots by mail, it creates a new barrier,” Gonzalez said. She noted that voters who believe they properly submitted an application may not realize there is an error until they receive a rejection notice — by which point time to correct it may be limited.
The Bexar County Elections Department has begun sending rejection letters along with new official applications to affected voters in an effort to prevent disenfranchisement ahead of the March 3 primary.
As of Wednesday, 1,986 mail ballots had been received countywide. Of those, 702 were from Republican voters and 1,284 were from Democratic voters — figures that may draw further attention as campaigns intensify their efforts in the final stretch.
Nirenberg’s consultant emphasized that the rejected ballot applications are not connected to Ramon & Associates, separating the ballot issue from the Attorney General’s search warrant activity.
With investigators active, ballot applications under scrutiny, and early voting underway, Bexar County’s political landscape has become increasingly charged. Election officials are urging any voter who applied to vote by mail to verify the status of their application promptly.