Texas election official attacked during early voting

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Officials said a San Antonio elections official was allegedly attacked late Thursday night and the suspect, a voter, was arrested.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of causing bodily harm to an elderly person, which is a criminal offence.

This incident is the first reported case of violence against an election worker this fall. Early voting began in Texas on Monday.

According to a sheriff’s report, the suspect, 63-year-old Jesse Lutzenberger, entered a polling place on San Antonio’s west side wearing a Make America Great Again hat expressing support for former President Donald Trump, which is considered electioneering and is against the law in Texas. Officials say the 69-year-old election commission employee asked Lutzenberger to remove his hat, which he did. Lutzenberger went to cast his vote.

Still at the polling station, Lutzenberger put on his hat and walked to the door. The poll worker approached the man to tell him this was unacceptable and then began to escort him as they approached the door of the premises.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said surveillance video shows Lutzenberger “throwing his hand at the victim.” “

The victim appeared to push away from the suspect. “At that point, the suspect turned around and punched the victim several times in the face,” Salazar said.

Salazar urged residents to remain calm during the vote.

“There’s nothing to go to jail for,” Salzar said.

An emergency medical team arrived at the scene and provided assistance to the election worker. Salazar said his injuries were not life-threatening. Bexar County sheriff’s deputies said they were able to find Lutzenberger at the residence, where Lutzenberger himself said, “I’m the person you’re looking for.”

Lutzenberger was booked into the Bexar County Jail and was released on $30,000 bail on Friday. He faces a third-degree felony charge.

This week, deputies had to respond to calls of people wearing clothing supporting political candidates at a polling place, Salazar said, although none of the others resulted in violence or arrest. Voters may not wear any type of clothing that expresses support for a political candidate or cause within 30 meters of a polling place.

Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said in a statement that she wants Bexar County voters “to remain calm and realize that over 200,000 early election voters cast their ballots last week and the majority of the experiences were positive.” Callanen said.

Election officials have been ready to respond to violence at polling places for some time. These efforts have become a priority in the midst of a contentious presidential election year.

This summer, the Texas Secretary of State’s office emphasized safety and emergency preparedness during its annual statewide training for election officials.

The agency’s elections division conducted simultaneous exercises and workshops on de-escalation, incident response and emergency preparedness.

Counties across the state, including Bexar, Dallas and Harris, have contingency and incident plans in place and included them in their election workers’ training.

A May survey of election administrators conducted by the Brennan Center found that 40% of respondents have taken steps to increase the physical security of election offices and polling places since 2020, and 38% reported experiencing harassment or abuse. Across the country, election offices are taking steps such as investing in “panic buttons” and training survey workers in de-escalation techniques as a result.

Natalia Contreras covers election administration and voting access for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. Contact Natalia at [email protected]

Disclosure: The Texas Secretary of State is a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in Trybuna’s journalism. Find a set their list here.