The Tarrant County Libertarian Party is taking legal action against the county’s Republican-led election board, claiming insufficient representation on the ballot board responsible for verifying mail-in ballots for the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. Party chair Sean Sparkman announced plans to file a writ of mandamus, urging the court to compel election officials to fulfill their duties adequately.
According to Texas election code, political parties with candidates on the ballot—Democrats, Libertarians, and Republicans—must equally appoint members to the early voting ballot board, which processes mail-in ballots. However, the Libertarian Party contends the Tarrant County election board has not adhered to these legal requirements.
The ballot board consists of 27 members, with nine appointed from each of the three parties. Tarrant County’s election board established this roster in July. Nonetheless, Libertarian representatives claim that the actual participation during the early voting period has not reflected this equal distribution. Reports from Libertarian party members indicated that during the two-week early voting window, nine Republicans, seven Democrats, and only two Libertarians were scheduled to handle ballot processing.
“The way that we deal with this is we take them to court, and that’s what we’re going to have to do,” Sparkman stated. Concerns over representation led to a special meeting of the election board just days before Election Day, during which 20 additional members were appointed to the ballot board, including three from the Libertarian Party, three from the Democratic Party, and 14 from the Republican Party.
As of October 30, Tarrant County’s elections office reported receiving 20,482 mail-in ballots, signaling a 17% increase compared to the same period during the 2022 midterm elections. Clint Ludwig, the county elections administrator, asserted that the board was operating within legal boundaries, allowing the appointment of additional members on an “as-needed basis.”
During discussions at the meeting, Libertarian representatives expressed feelings of discrimination, linking it to their prior political activities and ongoing litigation against Tarrant County. Jocelyn Pantke, an elections coordinator for the Libertarian Party, noted that this is the first election she has not been scheduled to work since she joined the ballot board in 2020.
Amie Super, chair of the ballot board, did not provide comments regarding the complaints. Tim Davis, chair of the Tarrant County GOP, deferred questions about scheduling to Super and emphasized that the new appointments were compliant with state law. However, Nina Oishi, a staff attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, criticized the legal reasoning provided by the election board, emphasizing the importance of fair representation in accordance with election code provisions.
As the election approaches, Libertarians remain concerned about proper counting and processing of mail-in ballots and the implications of alleged unequal representation within the ballot board. The additional members are expected to help with the increased mail-in ballot workload, yet the party insists on further attention to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
