AUSTIN, Texas — Two bills have been filed that seem to have opposing viewpoints on the position of voting locations on college campuses.
H.B. 2390, written by State Representative Carrie Isaac, claims to prohibit polling locations from taking place on college campuses. H.B. 644, written by State Representative Gina Hinojosa, seeks to allow local county commissioners to establish a voting location on a higher-education campuses with at least 8,000 members.
In 2022, many members of the Bryan-College Station community took opposing viewpoints after Brazos County voted to remove the Memorial Student Center at Texas A&M University as an early-voting location. However, the MSC was open to students to vote on Election Day, and saw hour-long lines for those looking to cast their ballot in the midterm elections.
Judy Leunes, a Brazos County voting registrar, said that the priority should lie in the education of voters rather than the locations of voting places.
"We shouldn't have to worry about students voting on campus. We should be educating them about how to vote, what to do, not scrambling," said Leunes.
If H.B. 2390 were to be passed into law, the Memorial Student Center would not be allowed as a voting location under the adopted state law; whereas, H.B. 644 could still allow that location as a potential option.