Campaign Worker Arrested After Trading Gift Bags For Ballot Favors

Rachel Rodriguez was detained for her role in a voter fraud operation, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. According to arrest warrants, Rodriguez will be charged with fraud, illegal assistance with the mail-in voting procedure, illegal possession of an official ballot, and illegal voting.

In January, Rodriguez was imprisoned on the East Side of San Antonio following his arrest on the allegations that had been brought in Kendall County.

In a Project Veritas film from before the 2020 election, Rodriguez was seen on camera gathering votes.

Project Veritas, a far-right activist organization, employs covert video and audio in its activities. The group and its creator James O’Keefe have come under fire for allegedly using deceptive editing techniques.

The video purports to show Rodriguez explaining to a snooping reporter how she convinces voters to cast different ballots in return for gift bags.

On a porch near a West Side house in October, Rodriguez is seen in the video greeting an elderly woman. The accusations against Rodriguez might be increased because of a meeting with a lady who was over 65.

The investigation into election fraud by the Office of the Attorney General’s Election Fraud Division resulted in the arrest. On tape, Rodriguez warned the woman that what she was doing was illegal and that she risked being detained as a result. If found guilty, Rodriguez could serve up to 20 years in prison.

According to the warrants, Rodriguez then appears to punch out a vote for US Senator John Cornyn and marks the woman’s ballot for rival MJ Hegar.

The warrants state that Rodriguez seals the vote and carries it even though there is a mailbox nearby.

Attorney General Paxton remarked, “Many continue to claim that there’s no such thing as election fraud. We’ve always known that such a claim is false and misleading, and today we have additional hard evidence. This is a victory for election integrity and a strong signal that anyone who attempts to defraud the people of Texas, deprive them of their vote, or undermine the integrity of elections will be brought to justice.”

Records show that the AG investigator acquired evidence for the criminal case, including the ballot envelope, in December.

Rodriguez was helping a dozen local voters, including the woman, cast their ballots.

Rodriguez agreed to take the undercover reporter along for the journey in exchange for $500, according to the search warrant.