A 63-year-old man, Jesse Lutzenberger, was arrested and charged with injury to an elderly person after allegedly assaulting a poll worker in Bexar County, Texas. The incident occurred when the worker asked Lutzenberger to remove his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat at a voting site, as per the county’s electioneering laws.
Sheriff Javier Salazar reported that Lutzenberger initially complied with the 69-year-old poll worker’s request to remove his hat, which is considered a symbol of support for former President Donald Trump. However, the situation escalated after Lutzenberger finished voting and put his hat back on. The poll worker once again asked him to remove the hat and began to escort him out of the voting site.
According to Salazar, surveillance footage showed Lutzenberger throwing an arm back towards the poll worker. While it was unclear whether the arm made contact, the worker appeared to push off Lutzenberger, who then allegedly threw punches at the worker’s face. The worker sustained marks on his face from the incident.
Authorities later located Lutzenberger at his home, where he identified himself as the person involved in the incident. He was taken into custody, questioned, and subsequently charged with injury to an elderly person. Lutzenberger was released after posting a $30,000 bond.
Despite the close age between Lutzenberger and the poll worker, Salazar emphasized that Lutzenberger’s actions were unacceptable. He described Lutzenberger as able-bodied and estimated his size to be around six feet and between 240 to 250 pounds. Salazar stressed that such behavior is illegal, regardless of the context or political affiliations.
The sheriff used the incident to call for a reduction in political animosity, stating his goal was to “bring down the tone” and “calm the mood down a bit.” He reiterated that the issue was not about supporting a particular candidate, but about respecting the laws prohibiting electioneering at polling sites.