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New affidavits filed with the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) Monday allege a coordinated ballot harvesting operation in Harris County.
The two testimonials specifically name state Senator Boris Miles (D‑Houston) and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis (D‑Pct. 1) as leaders of an election fraud scheme that involves stealing absentee ballots from nursing homes and forging voter signatures.
Another individual named is Dallas Jones, a political operative overseeing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s Harris County operation.
First reported by National File, the witness testimony included in the affidavits were submitted in conjunction with a lawsuit filed by conservative activist Steven Hotze and others.
A former FBI agent and now private investigator writes in his sworn testimony that he has investigated ballot harvesting allegations since December of 2019 after two individuals told him they had witnessed illegal ballot harvesting activity.
The investigator says that witnesses have accused Miles and Ellis of orchestrating the scheme, and allege that the two are assisted by Houston businessman Gerald Womack and political consultant Dallas Jones, who they describe as “chief lieutenants.”
Dallas Jones previously served as district director for both state Rep. Garnet Coleman (D‑Houston) and then state Senator Rodney Ellis, but was recently named the Texas political director for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign.
According to the testimony, ballot harvesters collect absentee ballots from “the elderly in nursing homes, from the homeless, and from unsuspecting residences’ mailboxes.” They then complete the ballots and forge the signature of the voter.
Witnesses also told the investigator that two employees in the Harris County Clerk’s office are facilitating the operation and working to mix the forged ballots in with legally submitted ballots.
The affidavit also alleges that previous county Clerk Diane Trautman, who abruptly resigned in May, was aware of the illegal activities and investigation and told Ellis she was concerned about being arrested for election fraud.
The other testimony, delivered by a former Houston police officer, asserts explicitly that he has videotaped corroboration of these claims.
Mail-in ballots have become a flashpoint issue as officials have issued orders that would enable voters to avoid visiting precincts in person. Opponents, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, warn that voter fraud will compound along with a mail-in voting expansion.
View the affidavits below.