Scaring the Seniors in Corpus Christi
My uncle saw a notice of a voter information meeting in his assisted living facility. Wanting to know how to check to see if his voter registration address change had gone through, he decided to attend. Here is the text of the notice:
"Be Ready To Vote!
Nueces Election Integrity Project
Wednesday, August 21, 10:00a.m.
Representatives from the non-partisan organization, Nueces Election Integrity Project, will be here to assist in voter registration, application for mail in ballots, etc.
If you have not yet registered or changed your address or need help getting a mail-in ballot, or have questions in general, be sure to attend."
At the meeting there was a lone man, no brochures, fliers, or registration materials. The man presented no information about the issues listed in the announcement. Instead, he launched into the classic maga diatribe about "massive voter fraud", the dangers of registering through organizations like the League of Women Voters (they'll steal your identity!). He was scaring the "old folks"!
Strike One.
The next day, my uncle went down to the office to talk to the events manager. She showed him the business card used by the speaker. The card displayed and obvious cut-and paste county seal, a bogus claim to being a Deputy Voter Registrar (that's not what they are called in Nueces County), and a phone number and email address that are in no way connected to the county.
Strike Two.
The next day my uncle went down to the county voter office. They did not know the name on the business card. He asked about the claims of voter fraud, and they said there hadn't been any in Nueces County for over 30 years. He asked about the Nueces Election Integrity Project, and they said that that organization was ruining their jobs and devastating their budget with endless FOIA requests, and that no, the organization was not associated with Nueces County in any way.
Strike Three.
Subsequently, my uncle and I got on the web to check out the Nueces Election Integrity Project. Their home page states that they are a non-partisan organization. The last page states that, far from being non-partisan, they are A DIVISION OF the Texas Republican Party.
So, they have a man impersonating a county officer, misrepresenting to senior citizens what his meeting is about, lying to them and scaring them, claiming to represent a non-partisan group that is hyper-partisan, and generally (seemingly) involved in a conspiracy to interfere with the next election.
My questions:
Is this legal?
Is this one-off rogue maga nut, or part of a concerted effort by a division of the Texas Republican Party (or National!)
The Nueces County Election office has been made aware of this. Who else should be told (Texas State Attorney General is super MAGA)?
We have the guy's real name, business card, a photo, a copy of the flier, screen shots from the website, and a dozen witnesses.
Maybe you can tell I'm pissed, and not particularly "objective" at this point!
= new reply since forum marked as read
I am providing all info now, as it appears on this man's publicly available business card, which he provided while introducing himself.
As of Friday, Aug. 30, we know:
Name: Guy Saponari (from business card)
Listed as: Deputy Registrar (He is actually a listed "Volunteer Deputy Registrar"
Phone Number: (512)563-3302 (from business card)
Email: guysaponari@gmail.com
The seal on the business card is a Texas star surrounded by two boughs, and around the edge it says "State of Texas" at the top and County of Nueces at the bottom. (we now have the actual card, as opposed to the photocopy)
The bottom of the business card says, in red letters "voter advocacy, security & education"
The back of the card has a URL code labeled "Nieces (sic) Voter Registration Check"
Today my uncle went to the election office and asked to speak to Mr. Saponari or his boss. The clerk said that nobody by that name worked for the county, but there is a volunteer deputy registrar by that name.
Volunteer Deputy Registrars are trained by Nueces County and sworn in. Absolutely NO partisan politics is allowed by these registrars while engaging in voter registration duties.
A Google search turned up a reference in LinkedIn, and the picture matches the man at false voter information event.
I have decided to provide all the information on this man and his "non-partisan" organization since he provided it on hid card.
A clerk at the elections office said that they knew of similar challenges faced at other counties' election offices. This may be a far-ranging strategy of disinformation designed to lay the groundwork for not certifying the votes after the 2024 elections.
The website associated with Mr. Saponari has deleted their links to the initiative of the same name being run by the Republican Party of Texas. Non-partisan, anyone?
