Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted to keep all eight of its early voting sites at colleges Thursday, after Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare challenged some of those locations last week.
On Sept. 4, the Commissioners Court rejected a list of 50 proposed early voting sites. O’Hare questioned why the county uses colleges as early voting locations. He said it is not the county’s job to get students – or any group – to vote.
Republicans voted against Democrats to reject the list, 2-2. Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez was not present. A tie means the motion fails.
Ramirez made the motion to approve the original list of 50 sites, plus one more staff were able to add, at a special meeting Thursday.
“Reducing the number is not a priority,” he said.
The motion passed 4-1 after four and a half hours of public comment, with O’Hare the only dissenting vote. People in the packed commissioners courtroom cheered and clapped.
Before the Thursday meeting, county staff put together three new lists of potential early voting site locations. The proposals varied, but all included fewer total sites and fewer colleges than the original proposal.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, some Tarrant County College campuses, and UT Arlington faced elimination.
The Democratic members of the Commissioners Court were not at Thursday's meeting in person. Commissioners Roy Charles Brooks and Alisa Simmons were in Washington D.C. for travel previously approved by the Commissioners Court, they said.
O’Hare denied scheduling the meeting to exclude them, and both participated in the vote over Zoom.
Local Democrats mobilized against the proposed cuts to college voting sites.
State representatives and college students held a press conference at UTA Wednesday to advocate for keeping the sites. Some Democratic candidates threatened to sue if the cuts went through. Critics, including Simmons and Brooks, called the cuts an act of voter suppression aimed at voters of color.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Tarrant County College South Campus are in a zip code that’s 71% Hispanic, according to census data.
On Thursday, O’Hare repeated his concerns about polling sites that are close together, like UT Arlington and the Arlington Subcourthouse.
Running two sites about a mile apart is a waste, he said.
“At some point, we have to consider money, and every single time we have one of these locations, it’s at least $10,000,” he said.
Tarrant County Election Administrator Clint Ludwig previously explained those sites are close together because they’re both busy.
Simmons, who represents Arlington, pointed out UTA has been a polling place for years.
"This sounds like manufactured chaos," she said. "I’m not sure why we’re here, why we’re making a big deal out of this."
Campuses are not well suited to be voting sites, O’Hare said, calling them uninviting and inaccessible. Students are generally young and able-bodied and can walk to another location close by, he said.
Members of the public packed the commissioners courtroom, with people speaking for and against college voting sites.
Tyleyah Grimes told commissioners she’s a senior at UTA who juggles classes and work. Having a polling place on campus ensures that students can participate in the election, she said.
“It’s not just about 10 steps. We have busy days,” Grimes said.
Helen Gonzales said the county should get rid of the UTA polling place. She suggested UTA set up a shuttle system to get students to nearby voting centers.
“I’m sure the Republican Party or the Democratic Party at those universities would be more than willing to drive those independent voters to a polling place,” she said.
Parking problems can be improved without scrapping a site altogether, said Carol Raburn, who told commissioners she's an election worker in Arlington.
“Taking it away doesn’t make things better. Adding more makes things better,” she said.
Raburn has worked elections for years as an election judge, including at the Arlington Subcourthouse, she told KERA. When asked how closing UTA would affect voting at the Subcourthouse, she said, “Oh my God.”
“I can’t even imagine how long the lines would be. And where would people park?” she said.
Republicans at the state level and across the country have taken aim at student voting. One Texas legislator proposed a statewide ban on college polling places. Last year, Idaho banned student IDs as a form of voter identification.
College voting sites “might not serve the community well and could lean liberal,” a recent Tarrant County GOP newsletter said.
After Thursday’s vote, Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French called out the Republican commissioners who voted with Democrats.
“The @tarrantgop activists and voters will not forget which of our elected officials stood with them and which of them chose to side with the Leftist mob,” French wrote in a post on X. “@MannyRamirez_TX and Gary Fickes were elected as Republicans, but today they voted to help Democrats win in November.”
The @tarrantgop activists and voters will not forget which of our elected officials stood with them and which of them chose to side with the Leftist mob.
— Bo French (@Bo_French_TX) September 12, 2024
@MannyRamirez_TX and Gary Fickes were elected as Republicans but today they voted to help Democrats win in November.
Ramirez responded to French’s comments after the meeting.
“My conservative record stands on its own,” he said. “At the end of the day, I think that having free and fair access to election sites is not a partisan issue, and it shouldn't be.”
In the future, Ramirez would like all commissioners’ precincts to have an equal number of polling places, he said.
Before the vote, O’Hare asked Ramirez if he would be willing to equalize the number of polling places per precinct by eliminating some of the colleges.
Ramirez said no.
“I’d be in favor of adding additional sites to equalize, but not removing any,” he said.
Commissioner Alisa Simmons pointed out population density plays a role in which precinct gets more voting locations.
Ludwig said last week he needs all the early voting sites he can get – ideally 60 or 70. Finding locations that are willing to open for 12 days, for long hours, is difficult, he said.
The last day to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 7, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Early voting will go from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 5.
This story has been updated with additional comments from county commissioners and members of the public.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on X @MirandaRSuarez.
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