The Tarrant County Libertarian Party plans to file a writ of mandamus against the county's Republican-controlled election board, party chair Sean Sparkman told the Fort Worth Report. The party says the board has not properly represented Libertarians on the early voting ballot board for the Nov. 3 midterm elections. A writ of mandamus is a court order that asks an official to perform a duty or correct an abuse of discretion.
State election code requires each party with candidates on the midterm ballot to have the same number of members on the early voting ballot board. In July, the county election board created a 27-person board with nine members from each of the Democratic, Libertarian and Republican parties, according to board documents reviewed by the Report. Libertarians say the parties have not been equally represented in the room where ballots are counted.
Accounts from four Libertarians and two Democrats, including the Democratic Party chair, said that during the two-week early voting period the Republican chair of the ballot board, Amie Super, scheduled nine Republicans, seven Democrats and two Libertarians to process ballots. Libertarians say the election board has not followed state election law. Republicans maintain that the board acted lawfully.