HOUSTON – Harris County Precinct 2 commissioner Adrian Garcia is calling for an investigation of what he says are racist campaign tactics after anonymous mailers were sent to people with Latino surnames.
Garcia says the first reports came from constituents in the East End, but he has since heard from people outside of Precinct 2 who also received the flyers.
The envelope has “important election information” on it and says “abrir ahora,” which means open now in Spanish.
Inside, a flyer with a message in the form of an anonymous quote,” It’s time to vote. Sources say Latinos are voting Republican and Blacks are once again voting for Democrats.”
Two bumper stickers were also included with the same message written in Spanish.
“If they won’t put their name on it, just know that it is not legitimate. We don’t know how many, but there has been an effort to put this out and it’s very apparent that they’re trying to target the Latino community,” Garcia said.
Garcia called on fellow Republican elected officials and GOP leaders to condemn the mailings.
In a statement, Cindy Siegel, chair of the Harris County Republican Party wrote:
“The Harris County Republican Party welcomes all voters of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Our diverse slate of Republican candidates offer real solutions to the issues that matter most to Harris County voters of all backgrounds — including skyrocketing crime and record-high inflation. We do not know where this flyer came from, but we strongly condemn the message and will not tolerate tactics designed to divide the communities in our diverse county.”
Garcia and Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said they believe the material violates election laws and said they hoped law enforcement and the Texas Ethics Commission would investigate.