AUSTIN, Texas: Six people in a small Texas county have been charged with serious crimes as part of a growing election investigation led by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Among those charged are two city council members and a school board trustee. Latino rights groups say the case is politically motivated.

Frio County's top official, a county elections worker, and a local resident were also charged on May 1. This follows earlier searches of Latino campaign volunteers' homes near San Antonio last year, including the home of an 87-year-old woman. None of those people were charged.

Most of the six people are accused of "vote harvesting," which in Texas is a felony. It usually means being paid to collect and drop off other people's mail-in ballots. Some officials are accused of using Cash App to pay for these services.

Attorney General Paxton said in a statement that Texans deserve honest elections and that officials who cheat will be punished.

Last year, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) asked the federal government to investigate Texas authorities after the home raids. So far, no one raided has been charged. LULAC has not decided whether it will represent those now facing charges. The Texas director of LULAC said the charges are false and called the case an example of voter suppression.

The vote harvesting charges are third-degree felonies, which can lead to up to 10 years in prison. Those charged include Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho, Council members Ramiro Trevino and Racheal Garza, School Board Trustee Adriann Ramirez, and a resident, Rosa Rodriguez. Former elections official Carlos Segura is accused of tampering with evidence. He called the charges "ridiculous."

Some of the accused didn't respond to requests for comment.

The investigation started after the 2020 election and has expanded. Voter fraud is rare in Texas, but the state has recently made voting laws stricter. Critics say these laws are meant to reduce voting among Black and Latino communities.

The investigation began when Camacho's opponent in a 2022 primary race, Mary Moore, told officials that Camacho had hired someone to collect mail-in ballots for years. Moore claimed this person charged candidates money to collect ballots and even drive voters to polling places.

Investigators say this ballot collector hid ballots under her shirt and used different cars to avoid being followed. They also say Segura gave her information about when ballots were sent and received.

Last year, a federal court upheld Texas's tougher voting laws, including those targeting vote harvesting.