Major Win: Tarrant County Commissioners Court Keeps College Campus Polling Locations Open
- Press Manager
- Sep 16, 2024
- 2 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2024
Contact: media@texascivilrightsproject.org
After attempt to close college campus polling locations and following community and voting rights activist testimony, County Commissioners vote to keep the location operational
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - Last Thursday in a 4-1 vote, Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted to keep all 8 college campus early polling locations operational for the 2024 election. The vote follows an effort by Judge Tim O’Hare to close some of the polling places, and advocacy efforts led by students, community members, and voting rights activists to keep the campus voting locations open.
“Having conveniently accessible early voting polling locations makes it easier for busy parents, workers, students, and others to cast their ballot. I applaud the decision of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court to maintain the 50 early polling locations and add an additional location. Tarrant County is home to one of the most diverse college campuses in the United States, and students and community members alike should be able to easily cast their vote come election season. Texas Civil Rights Project is proud to have stood alongside community members and student voters to encourage broader access to the ballot box in Tarrant County and will continue this fight across Texas,” said Rochelle Garza (she/her), President of Texas Civil Rights Project.
The UT Arlington polling place serves college students and community members alike. The majority of students at the university are people of color, making up over 60%. The polling location’s popularity in the community has been proven, in 2020, the early voting location had 9,754 votes cast. Along with UT Arlington, polling places at Tarrant County Community College Southeast, Northwest, and South campuses, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Texas Christian University, and University of North Texas Health Science Center will remain open. Texas Civil Rights Project staff, Hana Muslic, Election Protection Fellow, was on the ground in Fort Worth testifying for the college campus polling locations to remain open, view her testimony here.
TCRP is working to ensure that all Texans have the freedom and ability to vote during this year's midterm election. Any Texan who experiences difficulty voting can call the Texas Civil Rights Project's Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE or 888-VE-Y-VOTA for assistance in Spanish.
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This was an encouraging and important update regarding access to polling locations. Ensuring that voters have convenient and fair access is essential for a healthy democratic process. It’s great to see progress being made in protecting and expanding voting access at the local level. I also read a related perspective on a review blog https://gocollectiv.com/, which discussed how community engagement and policy decisions intersect in shaping voter participation. Very impactful news.
This was a strong and informative post covering an important legal and social issue. The way the article explains the implications of the lawsuit and its broader impact on civil rights is very insightful. I recently read a related commentary on a review blog https://the915lawyer.com/, which also discussed how such legal challenges often shape public policy and community responses over time.
The UT Arlington polling place serves college students and community members alike. The majority of students at the university are people of color, Smash Karts.
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