A social worker in the Mexia State Supported Living Center has been charged with 134 felony counts in an election fraud investigation.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office’s Election Fraud Unit assisted the Limestone County Sheriff and District Attorney in charging Kelly Reagan Brunner.
If convicted, Brunner faces up to 10 years in prison for the alleged offenses.
State Supported Living Centers serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the AG’s office explained in a news release Friday, Nov. 6.
Brunner allegedly submitted voter registration applications for 67 residents without their signature or effective consent, while purporting to act as their agent.
Under Texas law, only a parent, spouse or child who is a qualified voter of the county may act as an agent in registering a person to vote, after being appointed to do so by that person, the AG’s Office said..
None of the SSLC patients gave effective consent to be registered, and a number of them have been declared totally mentally incapacitated by a court, thereby making them ineligible to vote in Texas.
“I strongly commend the Limestone County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and Elections Office, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General for their outstanding work on this case and their commitment to ensuring a free and fair Presidential election in the face of unprecedented voter fraud,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Registering citizens to vote or to obtain mail ballots without their consent is illegal. It is particularly offensive when individuals purport to be champions for disability rights, when in reality they are abusing our most vulnerable citizens in order to gain access to their ballots and amplify their own political voice. My office is prepared to assist any Texas county in combating this insidious form of fraud.”
