Late last month the Fort Bend County Democratic Party declared Paula Maria Miller ineligible to be on the November ballot. Earlier this week, Miller filed an appeal.
After filing the Writ of Mandamus, Miller took to social media Tuesday to call out Fort Bend County Democratic Chair Jennifer Cantu. She went so far as to declare Cantu, “unfit and needs to be removed as the Fort Bend Democratic Chair.”
In her Facebook post, Miller accused Cantu and her primary opponent of being “besties,” saying, “These facts raise serious concerns about bias, coordination, and the integrity of the process. This appears to be an attempt to undermine the voters after a clear defeat.” She then went on to call a FBCDP Precinct Chair, “sore losers” and added, “You mad because y’all lost start packing. Get off my line. Go get some U-haul boxes.”
Cantu and the Fort Bend County Democratic Party claim Miller does not meet requirements of residency. According to Texas Election Code § 1.015, candidates for judge of a statutory county court must have lived in the county for at least two years prior to the election or appointment. Under Texas Election Code § 1.015, “residence” is defined as domicile, requiring both physical presence and intent to remain.
The FBCDP’s Declaration of Ineligibility for Miller contains seven pages of publicly available records, including; property records, vehicle registration data, assumed name filings, homestead exemption filings, address histories, as well as voter records.
The party says this evidence should remove Miller from the ballot.
Miller applied for a homestead exemption in Harris County on December 30, 2024. Her car is registered to an address in Houston. Property records show the address she claims in Richmond is owned by a third party. Evidence also show Miller voted in Harris County in November 2024.
Miller countered in her Tuesday statement, “References to mailing addresses, property records, or connections to other counties are irrelevant and do not determine legal residency.”
The Fort Bend County Democratic Party has no comment as the case is in active litigation. Depending on the outcome of Miller’s appeal, incumbent Juli Mathew, may or may not have an opportunity to keep her seat.
Fort Bend County Democratic precinct chairs will vote on the matter. According to the Texas Election Code, if a vacancy occurs between December 3, 2025, and August 21, 2026, the appropriate state, district, county, or precinct executive committee members who are elected in the 2026 primary elections (or appointed) to a new term starting June 15, 2026, may nominate a candidate for the unexpired term after the new party officers take office.
Mathew released a statement Friday: “If selected, I would be honored to appear on the ballot for the general election in November and continue the work we have done to strengthen the administration of justice in Fort Bend County. Serving this community as judge has been the privilege of my professional life, and I remain committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining the public’s trust in our courts.”
Miller challenged incumbent Juli Mathew in the March primary for the Position of Judge of the County Court at Law #3. Miller garnered 55.87% of the vote with 36,752 votes , Mathew received 29,005 votes or 44.11%. The winner will face Republican Jessica Jaramillo in November.