Travis GOP is suing county elections department over lack of bipartisan staffing

The Travis County Republican Party is suing the Travis County Division of Elections, alleging the county is not following bipartisan polling station staffing rules.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Travis County District Court against Dyana Limon-Mercado in her role as county clerk and election administrator.

The Texas Election Code requires the chief judge and alternate judge of each polling station to be affiliated or aligned with different political parties. It also requires, if possible, that the county select poll workers from different parties.

The presiding judge is responsible for the management and direction of the polling station, which includes the designation of work hours and duties for election workers. Poll workers greet and check in voters and help with other voting issues.

The county elections department operates 42 early voting locations in Travis County.

But the county Republican party says there aren’t enough Republican election judges assigned to each location.

Matt Mackowiak, who chairs the Travis County Republican Party, says there are 10 early voting places that do not have Republican alternate judges. He also says that half of all early voting locations do not have Republican poll workers for either the morning or evening shifts.

And Election Day, Mackowiak says, is just as bad, with about two out of five polling places where no Republican workers have been assigned.

“It is totally unacceptable that large portions of our county do not have designated election judges, despite the fact that we provide far more than the number of available workers required,” Mackowiak said. “This is an egregious example and we look forward to our day in court.”

This process is part of a trend Across the country, Republican and conservative groups are filing lawsuits challenging the integrity of the election. In August, the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit against Detroit, alleging that city officials did not hire enough Republican poll workers.

The Travis County lawsuit asks the judge to replace Democratic and unaffiliated election officials with people from a list of more than 900 potential Republican election workers the party submitted to the county clerk.

Early voting ends Friday. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.

In a written statement, Limon-Mercado’s office said it is aware of the allegations and is working with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office to respond accordingly.

“Our office remains committed to administering elections that are accessible to all eligible voters,” she said.