After Intense Testimony, Tarrant Commissioners Preserve College Polling Sites

College polling locations saved after fierce community advocacy.

When we show up, we win, which happened today in Tarrant County. Over 160 people showed up to testify at the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, and the testimony lasted for over four hours. At the end of the four hours, two of the Republicans, Commissioners Fickes, and Ramirez crossed the aisle to vote, with Democrats keeping the early voting locations on college campuses in Tarrant County.

Here was the moment of the vote:

You can see the entire court discussion before and after public testimony here:

• Before: Tarrant County Commissioners Court Discusses Early Polling Locations On College Campuses

• After: Tarrant County Commissioners Court Votes 4-1 To Keep Early Polling Locations On College Campuses

While ultimately, the vote landed in our favor (We, the People), I want to discuss the public testimony portion of this meeting. I’ve been watching city hall meetings and commissioner courts from all around the state for several years, and this was one of the most citizen-engaged meetings I’ve seen yet.

Students, college faculty, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and candidates for office all showed up with their neighbors and peers. They handed Judge Tim O’Hare and the Republican Commissioners on the Court their indignation over their attempts at vote suppression.

At the end of it Republican Commissioners Fickes and Ramirez decided to do the right thing. Why? Perhaps it was the community showing out in force. Maybe it was the threats of lawsuits over voting rights. Whatever the reason, Fickes and Ramirez ultimately chose democracy over partisan games.

And who showed up to testify? Below are the elected official, candidates, and groups (all clips below are 3 mins or less):

Senator Royce West:

The Democratic candidate for Tarrant Commissioner Precinct 3, Laura Leeman:

The Democratic candidate for Texas House District 96, Ebony Turner:

The Democratic candidate for Texas House District 97, Dr. Carlos Walker:

The Democratic candidate for Texas House District 98, Scott White:

The Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 12, Stephanie Draper:

The Texas Civil Rights Project:

The UTA Student Government:

The UTA NAACP:

As previously stated, there were over 160 people who showed up, and so many fantastic testamonies in favor of keeping these early polling locations on college campuses.

Here were a few of my favorites, who weren’t there as an official, candidadite, or group:

Josh Lucas:

Cara Polomara:

Almost everyone who showed up was on our side (pro-democracy).

However, fewer than a dozen testified in favor of removing the polling locations on college campuses.

That included Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French:

And Republican House Representative Nate Schatzline (HD93):

As a reminder, I’ve Perla Bojorquez For HD93, and think her seat is flippable. She’s been outraising him on in-district donations and showing up in her community. While she wasn’t there to testify today, she testified last week and has been at several recent Commissioner Court meetings.

Lone Star Left Endorses Perla Bojorquez For HD93

Also, two pro-democracy witnesses were kicked out of the meeting.

That includes Tarrant County activist Alexander Montalvo:

And Yaseen Tasnif:

The Republican Commissioners still found a way to stick it to organizers.

After the vote to keep the early polling locations on college campuses, the Commissioners voted on whether or not to allow the VDRs in the county buildings to register voters. All three Republicans voted to only allow them to register voters on the outside of the building, denying them access to the air conditioning.

One of the Republican witnesses who testified in favor of denying access to climate control to VDRs went on about how these VDRs were with Battleground Texas, which she said had “partisan messaging” on its website, even though registering people to vote is a non-partisan activity.

Of course, the two Democrats, who attended via Zoom, voted to allow the VDRs in the buildings. But they were outnumbered.

In November, Democrats in Tarrant County have the opportunity to change that, as Precinct 3 is flippable, and the Democrat running there, Laura Leeman, is making headway in her campaign. You can learn more about Laura Leeman from her website.

This victory shows that when we show up and make our voices heard, we have the power to bend the will of even the most entrenched Republicans.

Fickes and Ramirez may not have crossed the aisle without the unwavering pressure from the community. Today was proof that collective action can move mountains, and in Tarrant County, it moved votes.

If this meeting is any indication of the enthusiasm and determination among Tarrant County Democrats, we can expect to see a strong blue wave where the West begins come November.

Vote early, vote often, just vote.

• October 7: Last day to register to vote.

• October 21: First day to early vote.

• October 25: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.

• November 1: Last day to early vote.

• November 5: Election day!

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