Tarrant County GOP sought an election advantage with failed effort to shutter college voting locations

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Earlier this month, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare proposed eliminating voting locations at some colleges because of their low turnout and to save costs.

Critics pointed to the thousands of students who used the locations in the past — many of whom favored liberal-leaning candidates — and accused O’Hare of wanting to suppress votes for his party’s benefit. O’Hare denied it and said college campuses were uninviting to older voters and had limited parking. Students could just go to another nearby location, he said.

But in a recent rebuke condemning Republicans who helped block O’Hare’s measure, the county’s party leaders don’t mention O’Hare’s previous arguments. Instead, in an apparent validation of critics’ concerns, the local party unanimously signed a resolution noting officials believed O’Hare’s proposal would’ve helped improve Republicans’ odds in the upcoming elections.

“Tarrant County Commissioners Manny Ramirez and Gary Fickes, Republicans elected with the support of the Republican brand and the Republican base, voted with Democrats on a key election vote that undermines the ability of Republicans to win the general election in Tarrant County,” the resolution reads.

The resolution states that Tarrant County Republican voters expect their officials to “work to advance policies that support free and fair election, that do not favor one party over other.” But it also laments that Ramirez and Fickes’ decision to keep the college voting locations jeopardizes “the party’s ability to maintain robust, conservative leadership in local government.”

Voting rights advocates and Texas Democrats said the resolution amounted to a blatant admission of favoring party gains over a fair electoral process. They say it’s the same with other statewide efforts from top Republican leaders, who are trying to block other counties’ voter registration initiatives and spreading unproven claims of illegal voting. Travis County is suing top Texas officials, accusing them of violating the National Voter Registration Act.

“Tarrant County Republicans are saying the quiet part out loud,” state Rep. Chris Turner, a Democrat from Grand Prairie, told The Texas Tribune. The proposal to eliminate the college voting locations “was only about making it more difficult for young people and people of color to vote,” he said.

The voter access debate comes as the county, once known as “America’s most conservative large urban county,” has become more purple in recent years. President Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Tarrant County since Lyndon B. Johnson in decades. Beto O’Rourke won the county in his failed 2018 bid to unseat U.S. Sen.Ted Cruz.

O’Hare won his seat as county judge in 2022, when the county also favored Gov. Greg Abbott’s reelection bid.

“Tarrant is one of the most diverse, electorally competitive counties in Texas,” said Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa. “Texas Democrats know it, and Tim O’Hare knows it, too. That’s why he is deliberately targeting early voting sites in high-turnout locations.”

During last week’s emergency commissioners court meeting, county staff presented three lists of early voting locations, all of which included fewer colleges and total sites than in the past. About 10% of the ballots in Tarrant County during early voting in the 2020 presidential election were cast on college campuses, according to the county’s data.

Days before, Tarrant County Chair Bo French wrote in a newsletter that reducing polling sites would be “a serious win for Republicans in Tarrant County.”

But before county commissioners could vote on any of the three proposals, Ramirez called for a vote on a list of early voting locations that instead added a new polling site.

After four hours of public comment, O’Hare asked if Ramirez would amend his motion to carry one of three location lists county staff had presented. Ramirez declined, saying, “Reducing the number is not a priority.”

Texas GOP Chair Abraham George criticized the vote on social media, saying, “When Republican elected officials vote against their Republican constituents, they damage our brand and hurt our party.”

The resolution the Tarrant County GOP signed Friday calls on Ramirez and Ficke to publicly commit to supporting the county’s Republican leaders, promote election integrity and ensuring the party’s success in the November election.

O’Hare, Sheriff Bill Waybourn, and District Attorney Judge Phil Sorrells created last year a county election integrity task force to focus on potential voter fraud. It has yet to file any charges.

Ramirez responded to the resolution with a statement he sent to French, in which he defends last week’s vote.

“I took an oath to serve Tarrant County and defend the Constitution. To me, this includes ensuring free, fair, and equal access to voting in elections,” Ramirez wrote. “After prayer and reflection, I could not, in good conscience, support eliminating voting sites that served over 9,000 citizens in the last election.”

The first-year commissioner usually votes with the Republican majority on the commissioners’ court. He voted to pass the biggest tax cut in recent county history and to block funding to a nonprofit over concerns about its support of LGBTQ+ issues and abortion rights.

“Republicans win because we work hard and have the right message, not because we cheat,” Ramirez added.

Two Fort Worth Republicans, Mayor Mattie Parker and state Rep. Charlie Geren, defended Ramirez in social media posts.

“Democracy is meant to be an arena for ideas. When we resort to winning at the expense of voter turnout, we’ve all lost,” Parker wrote on X. “Manny Ramirez should be commended, not vilified, for doing his job and protecting our fundamental right to vote.”

Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of the voting rights group Common Cause Texas, said elections should be decided by the voters.

“While the Tarrant County GOP might wish otherwise, politicians abusing their power to alter the outcome of elections is not how our system for administering elections should work,” he said.

Disclosure: Common Cause has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.