Losing candidates sue for new La Joya schools vote

EDINBURG — Moved polling places, miscounted ballots and dozens of illegally cast votes are among the election day problems two losing La Joya school board candidates are citing in a suit seeking a new election.

Domingo “Mingo” Villarreal and slate-mate Elma Garza filed paperwork Friday against winning candidates Arturo Gonzalez Jr. and Esperanza ”Espie” Ochoa asking a judge to throw out the results of a May 12 vote.

Both Villarreal and Garza lost their races by fewer than 500 votes — a margin so close that any irregularities could change the overall result of the election, said Ramon Garcia, the former Hidalgo County judge who is representing them in the case.

“At this point, it is impossible to know the true outcome of this election,” Garcia said.

Their lawsuit alleges that:

- Election workers improperly counted more than 400 votes.

- Dozens of voters who did not live within the district cast ballots in the race.

- Several election judges and clerks were not properly authorized to work the polls.

- At least one polling location was moved without authorization the night before the election.

On Wednesday, Gonzalez called Villarreal and Garza’s claims a case of “sour grapes.”

“The day after, I got a call from Mingo ceding the election,” he said. “I thought that was it, but now somebody decided they didn’t want to lose.”

The race, one of western Hidalgo County’s most contentious in decades, led to another term for Gonzalez and a seat on the board for Ochoa, who ousted incumbent Garza.

But questions about the voting process surfaced almost immediately after the May 12 vote.

On May 17, Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra seized all election documents from the district after accusations of voter impropriety were lodged against both sides.

County elections administrator Teresa Navarro has since said her staff uncovered several ballots from voters who live outside the district that appear to have been cast illegally.

Less than a week later, a state district court judge granted Garcia permission to take sworn depositions from several election workers, postal employees, campaign staff and a sitting board member who backed Gonzalez and Ochoa before the lawsuit was filed.

Neither of the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit agreed to interview requests Wednesday, but defendant Ochoa expressed frustration over the ongoing legal battle.

“It saddens me that this has brought so much negative attention to the district,” she said.

A hearing date has not yet been set for the case.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.