Tarrant County commissioners voted for a second time to prevent organizations from registering voters inside county buildings during a special meeting called Thursday — reversing their vote from just one week earlier.
Republican Commissioner Gary Fickes said he asked for the meeting to rescind his vote in favor of allowing voter registration inside county facilities.
"I apologize for requesting that,” Fickes said. “But I know how I wanted to vote and I immediately went to [County Judge Tim O’Hare] and Chandler [Merritt] and talked about...is there a way to modify that vote.”
The motion passed 3-2 along party lines.
The vote comes after commissioners voted last week to let organizations register voters inside county buildings after a policy approved in July kicked them out.
Fickes, along with Democrat commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roy Brooks, initially voted in favor of allowing voter registration inside county facilities.
After the vote, O'Hare asked whether Fickes meant to support the amendment. The commissioner didn't provide a clear answer and did not change his vote at the time.
At the beginning of Thursday’s meeting, O’Hare said Commissioner Fickes approached him after the Sept. 4 meeting and said he was confused about his vote and asked to change it.
“It happens and it may happen to all of us when we get into our senior years,” O’Hare said.
Voter registrars are still allowed on county property. However, they are restricted to outside the facilities, which was a point of concern as summer temperatures in North Texas hit 90 degrees and higher.
Janet Mattern, president of League of Women Voters of Tarrant County, was one of several speakers in support of permitting voter registrars inside county facilities. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that works to expand voting rights.
“Voter registration is the responsibility of county government,” Mattern said. “The county should be glad to take advantage of nonpartisan groups providing voter registration services.”
The Sept. 4 meeting was not the first time O’Hare questioned a vote cast by Fickes.
Earlier this year, Fickes initially voted in favor of a motion made by Simmons to waive attorney-client privilege and allow for an open conversation about the powers of the county elections board.
After questioning and clarifying the intent of the motion from O'Hare and some back-and-forth between O'Hare and Simmons, Fickes reversed that vote, which caused the motion to fail.
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