The Tarrant County Republican Party on Monday called on members of its own party to vote against the county’s top elected official on the issue of voting sites on college campuses.
County GOP Chairman Bo French shared a party resolution on X expressing disapproval of Republican County Commissioners Manny Ramirez and Gary Fickes, who voted Thursday for approve a list of early voting sites which included eight university campuses.
County Judge Tim O’Hare voted against the motion, which was filed by Ramirez, saying polling places on college campuses unfairly favor a small segment of the voting population. I know opponents denounced the move as voter suppression.
Ramirez and Fickes “voted with Democrats on a key electoral vote that undermines the ability of Republicans to win the general election in Tarrant County,” the resolution states.
The resolution calls Ramirez specifically to signal “a disregard for the interests of the party and its constituents”, and invites him and Fickes to “review their political decisions to better reflect the values and expectations of elected Republicans”.
O’Hare publicly said that Low voter turnout is beneficial for conservatives in Tarrant County.
Ramirez and Fickes were not available for comment after Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session.
French fired the first shot Thursday after the sites were approved, accusing Ramirez and Fickes of starting “with the left crowd”.
In the following days, text messages sent by the Tarrant County Patriots PAC urged Republican voters to call and ask Ramirez “why he wants anti-Trump and anti-Cruz Democrats to win in November.”
Ramirez responded in a letter addressed to French over the weekend accusing the party president of spreading misinformation about him and other Republicans on the Commissioners Court.
“Furthermore, you used party resources and shadow PACs to attack me, all because of a personal disagreement over a single issue,” Ramirez said in the letter.
In an attempt to “set the record straight,” Ramirez wrote that he made his motion and vote on the recommendation of County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig and that he proposed adding more early voting sites in the senior centers.
When O’Hare asked at the Sept. 4 session how many early voting sites he recommended for the county, Ludwig said between 60 and 70.
Ramirez received the support of local voters.
Texas Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican from Fort Worth, published Ramirez’s letter to the French on X on Saturday, and thanked the commissioner for “staying on conservative principles and maintaining polling stations on university campuses. Republicans know how to win the vote.”
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker released Ramirez’s letter on Tuesday, saying Ramirez should not be vilified for his vote.
“Democracy is meant to be an arena for ideas,” he said. “When we resort to winning at the expense of voter turnout, we all lose.”
Ramirez “recognizes that it is the communication of ideas and policies and the ability to bring people together that wins elections, not partisan politics,” he continued. “We can run for office under the banner of a party, but once elected, you take an oath to serve everyone.”