Saturday, September 14, 2024
A Granbury City Council candidate has withdrawn from the race amid growing allegations of residency and voting fraud.
Eva Royer, who filed to run for Place 5 Friday, Aug. 16, has been at the center of controversy following claims that her residency and voting records do not align with her application.
Royer’s candidacy faced immediate scrutiny when it was discovered that her official application stated she had been a resident of Granbury for nearly three years.
However, records obtained from the Hood County Elections Office revealed that during the March primary earlier this year, Royer had voted in Precinct 216, which is located outside Granbury’s city limits. This discrepancy suggested either her application was inaccurate, or she had been voting from an incorrect address.
Further investigation uncovered that the address Royer listed as her primary residence on her application is reportedly a vacation rental property managed by her real estate brokerage. The property, which has been actively rented out and listed on evolve.com, received reviews from out-of-town renters during the time Royer claimed to be residing there. Additionally, the Granbury City Council approved the property as a short-term rental in July of last year.
City Attorney Jeremy SoRelle told the Hood County News that when a candidate files to run for office, the city must verify their eligibility according to the Texas Election Code. He explained that the city secretary’s office collects information from various sources to ensure the candidate meets all required qualifications, as detailed in both state law and the Granbury City Charter.
SoRelle explained that when the city secretary reviewed Royer's voter registration record, questions arose about her residency. He noted that while the Texas Elections Code mandates a minimum of 12 months' residency in Texas and six months within the jurisdiction for candidates, municipalities like Granbury can impose stricter requirements.
According to Section 2.03 of the Granbury City Charter, qualified applicants (in part) “shall have resided for at least one (1) year, next preceding the election at which they are candidates, within the Corporate Limits of the City of Granbury.”
“While reviewing Ms. Royer's application it was noted that she had indicated within the application that she had resided in the city of Granbury for approximately two years and nine months,” SoRelle said. “However, this was in conflict with the information received by the city secretary from the Hood County Elections Office.”
SoRelle said when the discrepancies were discovered, the city secretary adhered to the Texas Elections Code and issued a notice to Royer, which informed her of the issue and disqualifying factors on her application.
In response to the discrepancies, the Granbury City Council scheduled a special meeting for Friday, Aug. 23, to review and assess Royer’s qualifications and eligibility as a Place 5 city council candidate.
Section 2.04 of the Granbury City Charter stipulates the council is responsible for determining the qualifications of its own members.
“It became necessary for the city council to review the filing, hear from the applicant, staff and legal counsel, consider all supporting documentation and information, and to determine the qualification and eligibility of the applicant,” SoRelle stated.
However, one day before the Granbury City Council meeting was scheduled to be held, Royer submitted a formal withdrawal of her candidacy — resulting in a cancellation of the meeting altogether.
"The official withdrawal filed with the city secretary's office properly contains Ms. Royer's acknowledged signature, and, within the document provided by the Secretary of State, the language complies with the requirements of withdrawal as set out in the Texas Elections Code,” SoRelle explained. “Per the Texas Elections Code, Ms. Royer's withdrawal became effective as of the time of its filing with the city secretary.”
SoRelle also confirmed the special meeting set for Aug. 23 was canceled since it was no longer needed due to Royer’s timely and legally compliant withdrawal.
The situation has not only raised questions about Royer's candidacy but has also sparked broader concerns about election integrity.
Resident Sharee Westlund, who has been vocal about the situation on social media, emphasized the importance of upholding democratic principles.
“This is not about ‘cancel culture’ but about maintaining integrity within our democracy, which Eva Royer has allegedly disregarded,” Westlund said. “Election fraud is a serious crime and should be treated as such.”
The HCN reached out to Royer for comments, but did not receive a response before press time.
