GOP banning polling sites on TX college campuses?

Houston Public Media

A bill was fled in the Texas Legislature that would prohibit polling locations on college campuses throughout the state. State Rep. Carrie Isaac (R) of Wimberley fled House Bill 2390, one of over 100 election-related bills that have been fled this session. Voting rights advocates say the bill is a targeted attack on the political power of young voters.

Isaac represents Comal County and parts of Hays County, which fipped Democratic during the 2018 U.S. Senate race. Te county later favored Democrats Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke by over 10 points in the 2020 presidential election and 2022 governor’s race, respectively.

Alex Birnel, Advocacy Director for MOVE Texas, a nonpartisan nonproft focused on increasing voter engagement, credits the fip to the large number of young voters at Texas State University, located in Hays County. In 2018, Texas State’s early voting location closed afer the frst 3 days of the early voting period, during which students faced hour-and-ahalf-long waits to cast a ballot. Te location reopened afer the Texas Civil Rights Project threatened Hays County with a lawsuit unless it allowed Texas State’s on-campus polling station to remain open for the duration of the early voting period and expanded the location’s hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Birnel said House Bill 2390 has no clear purpose other than to decrease young voter turnout.

“Te bill text is so short that it doesn’t illuminate any further why this bill would be fled other than to directly target places where universities have large enough voting populations to fip the county, like we saw in Hays County back in 2018,” he said.

Rep. Isaac has not responded to requests for comment regarding the bill.

In the last 10 years, Texas has closed a total of 750 polling locations — the most of any state — in favor of fewer centralized voting locations in order to cut costs, according to the Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights. Tis came afer the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, which eliminated pre-clearance from the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “Pre-clearance” required jurisdictions with a history of racially discriminatory election procedures to get federal approval of any proposed changes to election practices. With the provision’s repeal, states can now implement new voting laws and procedures — such as polling location closures — without oversight from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

Many worry the closure of polling facilities with disproportionately disenfranchise people of color. One 2020 study from the American Economic Association found that a onemile increase in distance to a polling location reduced voter turnout from districts with minority residents by 19%. Meanwhile, for predominantly white communities, voter turnout decreased by only 5%.

The Houston NAACP recently hosted their annual Freedom Fund Gala with the theme, “Freedom Forward... Ensuring Justice and Equity for Future Generations.” This event not only recognizes those who have stepped up and fought for social justice but this event serves as an annual fundraiser to help support all branch advocacy eforts that beneft thousands of Houstonians annually. The Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award was presented to State Rep. Senfronia Thompson for her many years of service and leadership.

HISD receives $300k to expand access to recycling

By Laura Onyeneho

Exxon Mobil, Lyondell Basell and Tricon each presented the checks at Lantrip Elementary School this month to solidify its partnership for the pilot Zero-Waste Project.

Te program will utilize a reduce, reuse and recycle sustainability plan focusing on material recycling, composting and waste management comprising 20 campuses from administration buildings to high schools in the district.

HISD will implement the program starting in April. Te recycling project will be placed on campuses to make it easier for students and staf to understand the diference in each material that is being collected.

“As a company we are committed to sustainability especially with regard to better use of plastic waste instead of going to a landfll or being incinerated. We want to start here in Houston where we have large facilities in Baytown where we can recycle plastics,” said Loic Vivier, senior vice president Exxon Mobile specialty products. “Te key is to address two signifcant hurdles. One is access, to have the infrastructure and logistics and the second is to educate our community of the necessity and how this benefts the environment and community overall.”

A team of Rice University undergraduate students will also be helping HISD in sustainability research and policy for its new program. Te frst phase of the research will focus on engaging with literature, case studies and informational interviews to gauge how HISD can move toward zero waste.

Te second phase will allow a continuation of consultants’ fndings on curriculum, logistics and operations, and economic value and sustainability.

VOLUME 92, NUMBER 15 - FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Publisher | CEO

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Education Reporter

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