Republicans pull funding for free poll site rides in key Texas county: report

A board of commissioners in Tarrant County, Texas, acting on the demands of local Republicans, voted against funding the local program to shuttle people to the polls for free — a service the public transit agency has provided since 2019, and that the county government contributed toward in 2022, a new report shows.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Wednesday, "Trinity Metro asked for a $10,000 reimbursement for providing the service for primary elections, which represented a 50-50 split."

However, "County Judge Tim O’Hare said the county should not subsidize the service and said public subsidization of transportation to the polls goes against federal law, citing a case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 'That is not the responsibility of county government. It’s not the responsibility of taxpayers,' O’Hare said. 'Taxpayer funds should not be used to get people to the polls.'"

"Tarrant GOP chairman Bo French posted on X Tuesday that the 'deep state in Tarrant Co. is alive and well' in reference to the requested reimbursement from the county," said the report.

"French asked the court’s Republicans to vote against the issue, alleging the rides were a way to bus Democrats to the polls. 'When I learned they were wanting to bus people to the polls, at taxpayer expense, I knew I needed to expose this. I am glad I did,' French told the Star-Telegram in an email. 'Because of the light I shined on the issue and the public pressure that came with it, this measure failed to pass. This is a win for conservatives and for the taxpayers of Tarrant County.'"

Democratic commissioner Roy Brooks objected to the decision, emphasizing the county should be working to make voting as accessible as possible.

Tarrant County, which includes the city of Fort Worth and much of the western part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, has in recent years gone from being a solidly red county to closely contested. Both parties routinely carry it in state elections, with President Joe Biden having won the county in 2020 as he narrowly lost the state of Texas.

Former President Donald Trump's six-point win in the state left many Republican activists nervous, and scrambling to blame election officials. In Gillespie County, despite Trump having won overwhelmingly, a barrage of threats and harassment forced the entire election staff to resign in 2022.