Judge Tim O'Hare Plans To Eliminate College Campus Early Voting Locations

Targeting Student Voters: The latest voter suppression tactic in Tarrant County.

Republicans are scared. We’ve been here before with them, in 2020 and 2022. They know the same truths that we know. Texas is blue; it’s been blue… or at least we would be blue if everyone just voted. Republicans have spent decades instilling a climate of fear and voter suppression, even as the population grew, became more diverse, and the state began to urbanize.

It’s only a matter of time before Republicans lose power in Texas. It could be this election or perhaps the next one; eventually, it will happen. We outnumber them. If we show up and vote in numbers, that’s the end of Republican rule in Texas. We know that. They know that. That’s why they’re scared.

That fear drove Governor Abbott to announce he’s purged one million voters. It drove Ken Paxton to raid the homes of elderly women who volunteer for LULAC. That is the fear driving Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare to attempt to eliminate early voting locations on college campuses.

Yesterday, the Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court voted to approve the early voting locations and election day locations.

(18-minute video, recap below.)

• There were 50 proposed voting locations for early voting. O’Hare focused on the locations of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, TCU, and UTA campuses.

• The Judge questioned whether college campuses were appropriate locations for the general public.

• O’Hare talked about how close the early voting locations between the Arlington SubCourthouse and UT Arlington were. He said students should just walk to the courthouse.

• Commissioner Alysa Simmons pointed out that Arlington was the largest city in America without public transportation.

• Commissioner Roy Brooks voiced his concern that this was a voter suppression tactic and explained why there are voter locations on college campuses.

• The Tarrant County GOP Chair, Bo French, testified in favor of removing college location polling places because parking was too complicated.

Why does Tim O’Hare want to eliminate voting locations on college campuses?

Despite his concerns about parking and proximity, several essential points remain.

1. Enrollment and demographics.

2. How are college kids voting?

According to the College Evaluator:

• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has 2,300 students, 56% of which are students of color.

• TCU has 12,000 students, 40% of which are students of color.

• UTA has 45,000 students, 72% of which are students of color.

Then, there is how young people are voting:

Source: Pew Research Center

O’Hare knows that removing the early-voting locations would disenfranchise tens of thousands of young, diverse voters who would most likely vote blue. Republicans desperately want to keep Tarrant red, but it’s too late. Tarrant County went blue for Biden in 2020 and will go blue for Kamala Harris in 2024.

The Commissioners Court also voted on the election day locations.

Judge O’Hare raised objections to the election day locations because he said there were more polling locations in Democratic districts than in Republican districts. He wanted to eliminate polling places in the Democratic districts to “make it even.”

Fortunately, Republican Commissioner Gary Fickes voted with the Democrats to approve the election day locations. O’Hare was the sole vote against them.

Both Commissioner Simmons and Commissioner Brooks pointed to O’Hare that reducing polling locations, especially in Democratic areas, is voter suppression. This led to a tense exchange between Commissioner Simmons and Judge O’Hare.

At one point, Commissioner Brooks said, “The Republican Party is now on record as not wanting to facilitate the voting by college students. That is an abomination.”

Tarrant County’s proposed list of 50 early voting locations.

The two Democrats voted in favor of the early voting location list, and the two Republicans voted against it. Notably absent was the regular third Republican, Commissioner Manny Ramirez. Currently, Tarrant County has not finalized the early voting locations.

According to the elections administrator, three or four ISDs are also having elections in November. Those are tied into the general elections in Tarrant County. Because of this, the County must have those locations posted 60 days before an election, which would be tomorrow (9/6).

Judge O’Hare claimed that he spoke with the Secretary of State’s attorney, who told them there would be no penalties as long as they had those locations posted within two weeks.

However, according to the Secretary of State, if a county is not entirely compliant with election laws, it could face an audit and daily fines. Posting early voting locations late could result in legal challenges or logistical complications, particularly for entities that are required to post them 60 days before the election.

The administrator explained that the ISDs contracting with the County must post the locations 60 days before the election, but the County is 21 days before the election.

What will happen next?

The following Commissioners Court meeting is on 9/17, where they will be voting on this list again. Assuming Commissioner Ramirez is back, that could be a 3-2 vote for removing the early polling locations from college campuses in Tarrant County, the third largest county in Texas and the 15th biggest in America.

Next week, Commissioner Simmons and Brooks will be out of town for a conference. Some in the local community are worried that O’Hare will wait until they are gone to call a special session and hold the vote while the Democrats are absent.

Let’s hope O’Hare doesn’t do that, but if you’re in DFW, be on alert and plan to show up if they call a special meeting while Democrats are out of town.

What can you do? Calls to action.

If you’re in Tarrant County, call and email your Commissioner and Judge O’Hare and tell them you want the early voting locations on college campuses to remain. Their information is here.

Please attend the Tarrant County Commissioners Court on 9/17 to testify in favor of keeping the early voting locations on college campuses.

Republicans are terrified of losing their grip on power in Texas.

And they’re not hiding it. Over the next 60 days, we should expect to see them pull out all the stops to suppress the vote and make it as difficult as possible for certain communities—especially young, diverse, and urban voters—to exercise their right. Whether it’s eliminating voting locations on college campuses or manipulating the placement of polling stations, these tactics are about one thing: fear.

The math doesn’t lie. Republicans know their days in control are numbered. They understand that when we vote, we win. That’s why they’ll continue using every tool at their disposal to keep us from showing up at the polls. But we know their game and won’t let them silence us. The best way to beat this is to keep fighting, showing up, and voting in massive numbers. Because when we vote, we change everything.

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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