Fort Worth ISD election: Incumbent accuses opponent of illegal campaign activity
A school board trustee with the Fort Worth Independent School District, who is running for reelection, has accused her opponent of illegal campaign practices. No investigations have been opened as of Friday, April 4.
District 1 Trustee Camille Rodriguez took to Facebook recently to share claims that campaign workers for her opponent, Amanda Inay, “are currently in our community attempting to gather mail-in ballots from some of our most vulnerable community members, our seniors.” Inay denies the claims.
“This practice is ILLEGAL and know that I will be naming names and reporting these individuals to the Tarrant County Elections Office,” Rodriguez wrote. “If you can’t win by your own merit, you don’t need to be running for office. To tell a 90 plus year old that she can vote today and you will fill out her ballot is WRONG. This shameful practice has gone on for far too long in our communities.”
Inay told the Star-Telegram, “We should be running campaigns on our own merit, not trying to sabotage the character, the integrity of the other person. For me, it’s important to stay focused on what is important. And what’s important right now is the fact that our kids cannot read, and if they can read, it’s not on level. Our teachers are leaving in droves. Of course, with (Superintendent) Dr. Molinar here now, it’s helping some of that, right? But we have so much work to do.”
Voters will decide on May 3 whether to keep Rodriguez for a new four-year term or replace her with Inay to represent the district’s north side community. Rodriguez is a podiatrist and former substitute teacher who was elected to the seat in 2022 following the resignation of her predecessor. She also served on the board from 2004 to 2008.
Inay is a former Fort Worth ISD teacher who was awarded district teacher of the year in 2022-23. She now works at Rocketship Dennis Dunkins Elementary, a public charter school in east Fort Worth, teaching fourth- and fifth-grade humanities.
Tarrant County spokesperson Regina Calderon said the Elections Office is unaware of any complaints regarding Rodriguez’s claims. Rodriguez told the Star-Telegram she filled out a complaint form on the Elections Office website.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it had received an email about the issue but has provided no further information. Fort Worth ISD officials said the district does not oversee voter or campaign-related complaints.
“Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, the Texas Ethics Commission, and/or the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office would be the appropriate entities to file a complaint,” district officials said in a statement.
Inay said she has received no calls or inquiries from officials regarding Rodriguez’s claims.
Rodriguez said she received a text message from a constituent that said Inay’s team told her she could vote for Inay “that same day.” Rodriguez declined to share a screenshot of the text message with the Star-Telegram or connect a reporter with the unnamed constituent.
“That’s the thing that’s hitting me. You can’t do that,” Rodriguez said in reference to telling a constituent they can vote for a candidate immediately. “I’m very supportive of mail-in ballots because it’s a way for elderly people to still continue to be in the voting process… but there’s something wrong with somebody knocking on your door and saying, ‘You can vote today.’”
Inay said the only person who’s been knocking on doors besides herself and her family is a professional canvasser that her consulting group hired. He wasn’t in the north side area at the time Rodriguez alleges the incident happened, which was March 28, Inay said.
“The only thing I can conclude as to why she would have done this is because my consulting group sent out a very nicely-put-together mailer to every senior citizen in District 1, basically introducing me to them. It just gave them instructions on how they can vote by mail, should they choose to — basically, how to apply,” Inay said.
Registered voters in Tarrant County can request a mail-in ballot if they face obstacles that prevent them from voting in-person. This includes, for example, voters who are at least 65 years old, voters with a disability and voters with an “expected absence” from the county during the early voting period and Election Day. Applications for mail-in ballots must be submitted at least 11 business days prior to Election Day.
Texas Election Code states a person can help a voter complete their early voting ballot application but must fill out the assistant portion of the application unless the person is related to the voter or is registered at the same address. The person can help the voter complete the form, but the voter must be able to sign their own name.
“There is no limit to the number of applicants that a person may assist or possess for mailing to the Elections Department,” according to guidance from the Tarrant County Elections Office.
Election Code also states that a witness, or someone who signs an application for a voter who is unable to sign it due to a physical disability or illiteracy, is limited to helping one voter in the same election or one voter in a calendar year who applies for annual ballots. The witness must sign it and provide their name and address unless they are related by blood or marriage to the voter.
Those who are assistants or witnesses for voters and don’t follow election code can face varying levels of misdemeanors.
Similar rules apply to those helping a voter with marking or reading their ballot.
“An assistant must sign the written oath that is part of the certificate on the official carrier envelope and must include the assistant’s printed name and residence address. There is no limit to the number of voters that a person may assist, however it is a criminal offense for a person to be compensated for assisting a voter in marking a ballot if the compensation is in any way based upon the number of votes assisted,” Tarrant County election guidance states.
The Fort Worth ISD District 1 race is one of four district positions on the ballot on May 3. District 8 Trustee and incumbent Anael Luebanos is running uncontested. Early voting runs from April 22-29.
