Has the Parr family again returned to its political ways? Actually, the Box 13 votes that gave Lyndon Johnson his 87 vote victory in the 1948 Democratic Primary came from the nearby Jim Wells County, but it was apparently orchestrated by the famed "Duke of Duval", George Parr. [See the Handbook of Texas, Duval County.]

This time the irregularities are that over half the votes cast in the March primary election were cast by absentee ballot, and the reported voter turnout was 57% of registered voters. Statewide the turnout was about 4%. From the Houston Chronicle:

More than half of the 5,641 votes cast were through absentee balloting. That amounts to 2,958 ballots sent by mail, more than all the early voting in the county's 2004 primary when about 2,800 ballots were cast both in person and by mail.

Then from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

Some of the callers to the state from Duval County asked why 4,098 of the 5,445 primary ballots were early voters and why 2,800 of those were by mail. Mail-in ballots are limited by law to registered voters 65 or older, the disabled, people who will be out of the county on Election Day and during early voting, and eligible voters confined in jail.

Something is very fishy in Duval County, TX. The Dallas Morning News got this information, but it certainly doesn't explain the (alleged) fraudulent mail-in ballots:

Alicia G. Saenz, Democratic Party chairwoman for Duval County, said she's not surprised with the voter turnout because of two prominent local races, for county judge and county treasurer. But Saenz said she was surprised at the number of mail-in ballots [Snip]

Some residents complained about receiving rejected mail-in ballot forms at their homes, although they were unaware who had sent them in the first place, West said.

"In one instance, it was the lady's deceased father's name that was on the ballot," West said. "We know he didn't fill it out.

So what's new? It rains in the rain forest, and there is vote fraud in Duval County, TX.

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[Cross-posted from Politics Plus Stuff and I apologize for being late on this. It was in the (paper) Fort Worth Star-Telegram, I clipped it out, and simply forgot to blog it until after the on-line version disappeared behind the archive wall where they charge for the article.]
Rabid conservatism defeats itself!