‘Amen’: Democrats rejoice after Tarrant County decision on college campus voting sites
CORRECTION: U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne is an Irving Republican. The hometown was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.
Three Fort Worth area Democratic candidates do not intend to sue Tarrant County after commissioners vote on Thursday to preserve early voting sites on college campuses, according to a campaign official.
The candidates — Sam Eppler who’s running for Congressional District 24, Scott White who’s running for Texas House District 98 and Laura Leeman who’s running for Tarrant County commissioner — were considering legal action if county commissioners didn’t, at the least, approve putting polling places at the University of Texas at Arlington and Tarrant County College Northeast campus.
The court, during a nearly five-hour meeting that drew dozens of public comments, opted to approve the original 50 sites and add an additional location at the Vietnamese American Community Home in Dalworthington Gardens.
“As far as our campaigns are concerned, this is what we had originally wanted, and I think it’s great they added an extra one location,” said Brody Mulligan, a campaign official for the three Democratic candidates.
The candidates were excited by the outcome in Thursday interviews.
“Amen,” said Leeman, who spoke during the meeting. “Hallelujah. Yippie Yay. Democracy won today.”
The vote came after commissioners initially rejected the election department’s list of early voting polling places on a 2-2 vote Sept. 4. Precinct 4 Commissioner Manny Ramirez was absent for that vote.
Ramirez on Thursday made a motion to approve the original list and additional site presented by the electron’s office. It was approved 4-1, with County Judge Tim O’Hare being the sole no vote.
Mulligan believes removing sites on college campuses would have been a detriment to Democrats.
Eppler, who is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne in a district that includes northeast Tarrant County, said he’s thrilled about the court’s vote. He and other Democrats cheered its bipartisan nature.
“Look, I am a huge proponent of making sure that every citizen and eligible voter can vote,” Eppler said. “I don’t think we should be making it harder for people to vote. We should make it easier for citizens to vote.”
If the vote hadn’t gone that way, “all cards would have been on the table,” Eppler said.
White, who’s running against state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a Southlake Republican, said the vote was “absolutely the right decision.”
“I think the community is going to feel a lot more comfortable going into this election cycle,” White said. “There’s not a overhang of voter suppression going on.”
The Tarrant County Young Democrats were also prepared to go to court if they had to. Hunter Griffin, the group’s president, joined other Democrats in cheering the vote’s outcome. It’s a win for everyone, but particularly young people at colleges across the county who will be able to get their voices out through their vote, he said.
Griffin also pointed out that UT Arlington, one of the voting locations that could be cut, is a majority-minority campus. White students make up 22% of the student body, and Hispanic students make up the majority of students— 32%.
“We defeated Tim O’Hare’s voter suppression, and if Tim O’Hare tries to suppress the vote again, we’re going to defeat it again.”
O’Hare pushed back against the idea that the reducing the number of election sites on college campuses is voter suppression during the Thursday meeting.
“I’ve heard all the chatter about voter suppression, if there’s actual voter suppression going on from requiring a college kid who may not be registered in Tarrant County to walk the equivalent of about six-tenths of a mile to vote, and that you’re suppressing their vote if you don’t allow it is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard,” O’Hare said.
O’Hare argued that the number of voting locations is not balanced among precincts, and noted that college students could go to nearby sites. The polls at the Arlington Sub-Courthouse are a less than a mile from the UT Arlington voting site, he said.
“At the end of the day, this is partisan,” he said. “We know it’s partisan. Let’s not pretend like it isn’t. We know the why the Democrats are here. We’re not trying to fool anybody. The way I’m looking at it is, I’m trying to be efficient and I’m trying to make sure we’re saving money.”
Elected officials attended the Thursday meeting, including state Sen. Royce West, a Dallas Democrat, and State Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican.
Rep. Chris Turner, an Arlington Democrat, praised the commissioners who voted for the 51 sites.
“It was obvious to them — as it should be to anyone — that it makes no sense to reduce the number of voting locations weeks before what will likely be the highest turnout election in American history,” Turner said. “I hope Judge Tim O’Hare will take some time to reflect upon and learn from his decisive defeat today. Tarrant County is a growing and diverse county. We are stronger when everyone is encouraged to participate in our democracy. Making it more difficult for Texans of color and college students to vote is simply not who we are.”
Staff Writer Cody Copeland contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 12, 2024 at 4:27 PM.
