(ALEXANDRIA, VA.) – April 25, 2019: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) today commended the State of Texas and local law enforcement for the arrest of Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina.

“Texas continues to be a shining example of how states can fight voter fraud,” PILF President and General Counsel J. Christian Adams said. “Developing cases against alleged ballot ‘harvesting’ schemes demands significant time, manpower, and investigative acumen. Attorney General Ken Paxton and local law enforcement here again prove they have the right stuff to confront corruption in elections.”

According to a Texas Attorney General’s Office release circulated today, sitting Edinburg Mayor Molina won his 2017 race by more than 1,200 votes after he allegedly organized a “harvesting” operation that fraudulently registered voters in addresses not their own—particularly in an apartment complex belonging to Molina.

The Foundation previously alerted Texas election officials and law enforcement to altered voter registration applications mailed by the Texas Democratic Party, which were directed to noncitizen Rio Grande Valley residents. The Secretary of State referred the complaint to AG Paxton’s office for review prior to the 2018 General Election.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation is the nation’s most active public interest law firm dedicated to enforcing the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and ensuring the integrity of American elections – bringing more than a dozen cases to enforce voter list maintenance obligations and inspection rights under federal law in federal courts across the nation in addition to serving as amicus in more than a dozen voting law cases. The Foundation also works with election officials and policymakers to improve the integrity of elections.

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is a 501(c)(3) public interest law firm dedicated to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections.

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