From Upshur County Republican Party Chairman Ken Ambrose
UPSHUR COUNTY (KYTX) - One day before Tuesday's primary runoff elections, Upshur County Republican Party Chairman Ken Ambrose has asked the Texas Attorney General's Office to probe whether six early voters in the May 29 primary used questionable addresses that might not be their places of residence.
"It has come the attention of the Upshur County Republican Party that several individuals claiming residence in Upshur County and voting in the recent primary may or may not be qualified to vote as residents of this county," Ambrose said in a prepared statement.
"To ensure the quality of the electorate, this matter has been referred to the office of the attorney general for their review. We have alerted election judges to be on the lookout for individuals who may be knowingly or unknowingly voting using improper addresses."
Included in the allegations are that outgoing Precinct Chairman Lloyd Glenn Leach lives in Winnsboro, which is not located in Upshur County, and that Brenda Patterson, who lost her bid for Republican Party Chairwoman in May, reported a Coyote Road address in Upshur County has her home. Ambrose said the address has been vacant for several years and that local appraisal district records list no homestead exemption.
"I personally had asked Mr. Leach where he lived several times in the past two years and he steadfastly said he did not need to give me that information," Ambrose said in his letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott. "Mrs. Patterson and her husband were reportedly living at the Republican Party Headquarters in 2009 into 2010. At the time, no one in the community that was aware of the residence issue would come forward to the County District Attorney with a complaint."
