A group of young voters prepares a lawsuit if Texas Republicans ban polling stations on college campuses

DALLAS. A voting rights organization that represents young Americans has said it is ready to file a lawsuit if Texas bans polling stations on college campuses, as one recently filed GOP bill suggests.

“This bill is not about where Texans vote, but about who Texans vote for: young people who want change,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director and founder of Voters of Tomorrow. “Similar laws restricting student voting rights have been struck down in courts across the country and we are very confident that our lawsuit will succeed in court. The Texas legislature will soon learn that our voting rights are banned.”

State Rep. Carrie Isaac, D-Braunfels, introduced last week a brief piece of legislation, House Bill 2390, of just 13 lines, that proposes a ban on polling places on college campuses.

“Here in Texas, we have one of the longest early voting periods of any state in the country,” Isaac said, according to KVUE. “We are open for voting for two weeks. Every day, all day for two weeks. I don’t think it makes sense that we invite people to our campuses who would not otherwise be on our campuses.”

But Voters of Tomorrow say Isaac’s bill is yet another attempt to stifle youth voting in this state.

Generation Z voters have had a significant impact on races over the past three election cycles. In 2022, young voters helped prevent what was then thought to be a predictable wave of Republican victories, according to Jack Lobel on the Y’all-itics podcast in December.

Twenty-seven percent of eligible voters aged 18 to 29 voted last year, and they overwhelmingly supported the Democrats by nearly 30 points.

Last fall, Brazos County officials removed the early voting facility from the Texas A&M University campus. The Texas Tribune later reported that the precinct was the second busiest in the county.

Rep. Isaac’s legislation has not yet been submitted to committee for a hearing.

Voters of Tomorrow is a Gen Z-led national non-partisan organization that engages youth in politics and government.