Voter fraud claims are heating up a battle for political control in an oil-rich Texas county

One of the worst-kept secrets in Loving County sits along the shoulder of a desolate stretch of state highway in the heart of the Permian Basin. 

It’s a sprawling ranch with a sunbaked adobe home that the Pecos River flooded out years ago, nestled near a trailer and a mobile home on stilts, all behind a padlocked gate.

Loving County Commissioner Ysidro Renteria is under investigation by the Texas attorney general's office.Sarah M. Vasquez for NBC News

Eleven people are registered to vote at this address. One of them is...