Muristek
Brazos County officials could restore Texas A&M early voting location after pushback from students
Brazos County officials on Tuesday will consider restoring an early-voting location to Texas A&M University’s flagship College Station campus amid fierce criticism about its removal in the lead-up to November’s midterm elections.
Since July, students at Texas’ largest university have challenged the Brazos County Commissioners Court for moving an early-voting site from the Memorial Student Center to College Station City hall — a decision students say would suppress the youth vote. County commissioners later acknowledged that their earlier decision was a mistake, but it has been unclear leading up to their meeting on Tuesday whether they would restore the location.
“Whether they realize it or not, it is voter suppression,” said Kristina Samuel, a senior and president of MOVE Texas A&M, a nonpartisan group that works to increase voting access on campus.
Commissioners voted 4-1 on July 5 to move the early-voting location for Precinct 3 — in which the university is located — from the campus to City Hall, though there will still be a polling location at the MSC on Election Day. Commissioner Nancy Berry, who oversees the precinct, cited complaints from nonstudent voters about difficulties navigating the campus and low turnout at the MSC as reasons for the change. The Texas Tribune has requested data for early-voting turnout in recent elections, but did not receive the information by late Monday.
Student pushback to the decision on early voting was initially tepid because many students were away for the summer, though Democratic Party Chair Amy Alge and Republican Party Chair Elianor Vessali did express support for keeping the MSC prior to the vote. The momentum picked up in August after The Battalion, the student newspaper at A&M, reported on the change.
In...