Texas legislators became suspicious when the letters began pouring advocating for vouchers. Some investigation revealed that they were fraudulent.

“Several members of the House have received hundreds of fraudulent letters addressed from constituents asking them to vote for education savings accounts.

“State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, was suspicious when his office fielded 520 letters between mid-February and mid-March from constituents of his rural district, who are more likely to oppose private school choice than support it. All the letters were addressed from Austin and had the full names and addresses of each constituent at the bottom.

“Springer started making calls. “We talked to a couple of dozen constituents. No one knows where they’re coming from. None of them agree with the positions that they’re even taking,” he said. He knows of about 10 other representatives who got similar letters.

“One of Springer’s letters was addressed from former state Rep. Rick Hardcastle, who vacated the seat currently held by Springer about six years ago. “I don’t believe in vouchers of any kind,” Hardcastle said Monday. “It ought to be illegal…representing me for something I have no interest in supporting or helping.”

“Sue Dixon, a public school teacher in Gatesville for the last 20 years, got a call from state Rep. JD Sheffield’s office asking whether she had sent a letter lobbying her representative to vote for vouchers.

“I said, ‘Absolutely not!'” Dixon said. “I’m upset that someone would hijack my views.”

“Sheffield, a rural conservative from Gatesville, said he had received about 550 of those letters.”