Judge throws out more than 80 votes, reverses election results in Hidalgo County

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A judge reversed the results of an election in Hidalgo County on Wednesday after concluding that more than 80 voters received improper assistance.

State District Judge Jose Manuel Bañales ruled that Ramon Segovia, a businessman from western Hidalgo County, won the Democratic Party runoff for Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 Place 1.

“This wasn’t about me winning this spot,” Segovia said. “It was about the integrity of elections.”

Segovia and former Palmview City Councilman Joel Garcia ran against Justice of the Peace Sonia Treviño, a local chiropractor, in the Democratic Party primary.

Nearly 13,000 people voted.

About 49.6% supported Treviño, according to results published by the Hidalgo County Elections Department. Another 25.5% voted for Segovia. The remaining 24.9% backed Garcia.

While she received more votes than any other candidate, Treviño had fallen just short of a majority.

Segovia and Treviño headed to a runoff in May.

Treviño received 4,233 votes, according to results published by Hidalgo County. Segovia received 4,202.

After two hard-fought elections, Treviño had eked out a 31-vote victory.

Segovia filed a lawsuit, claiming that hundreds of voters had received improper assistance.

Under state law, only people with a “physical disability that renders the voter unable to write or see” and people who cannot read the ballot may request assistance.

In Hidalgo County, however, campaign workers frequently assist people who don’t actually need help.

“And I don’t blame anybody,” Segovia said. “It’s just the norm.”

The trial started on July 15. Attorneys called more than 80 witnesses.

One by one, they explained why they requested assistance.

A few said they had problems reading. Others said they wanted someone to explain how electronic voting machines worked. Many, though, just wanted help.

The judge ruled they had received improper assistance and rejected their ballots.

“Of the votes disqualified, 78 votes were for Treviño. And those votes must be subtracted from her total vote. Three votes were for Segovia. And those votes must be subtracted from his total vote,” Bañales said Wednesday morning. “Four were undetermined and can’t be attributed to either candidate.”

That left Segovia with 4,199 votes — 44 more than Treviño.

“Accordingly, the court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that Ramon Segovia is the true winner of the election,” Bañales said.

Segovia thanked God; his family, which supported him through two campaigns; and his supporters, who encouraged him to challenge the election results.

“It’s been overwhelming,” Segovia said. “And I’m very grateful.”

Attorney Gilberto Hinojosa of Brownsville, who represented Segovia, said the trial had exposed disturbing information about how elections work in Hidalgo County.

“The degree of election abuse that you heard in this case is unparalleled, your honor,” said Hinojosa, an expert on election law who serves as chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. “It is something that has left a black mark on our county, in terms of how elections are run.”

Treviño plans to appeal.

“This is like a jury verdict. You respect it,” said attorney Rick Salinas of Mission, who represented Treviño. “But I don’t agree with it. At all. Zero.”

Both campaigns assisted voters, Salinas said.

“I have no doubt in my mind that he assisted a bunch of people,” Salinas said. “And then he ended up crying about something he did himself.”

The judge prevented Treviño from calling all her witnesses, Salinas said, adding that about 170 people who supported Segovia had received improper assistance.

“The real issue here is finding the truth,” Salinas said. “I don’t believe — with all due respect to the judge, I’ve known him for years — I don’t believe that’s what happened.”