Don't Mess With Texas Voters

The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination is moving into the final stretch. Primaries will be held in Hawaii and Wisconsin next week.

There are three delegate-rich states remaining -- Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. All eyes will be on Texas on March 4, but early voting actually begins on Tuesday.

The Democratic primary campaign has triggered a record turnout of African Americans and young voters. To ensure that pattern continues and with memories of past efforts to deny them the right to vote, students at Prairie View A&M University got busy.

They joined forces with Black Youth Vote and community leaders and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice over plans to eliminate six early voting locations in Waller County, Tex. The move would require Prairie View students to drive or walk nearly eight miles to vote in the nearest early voting location.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent a strongly worded letter to the Justice Department protesting the county's action. The matter is now under review, a process that could take 60 days. So, the students held a press conference to announce a march and again call for federal protection.

"Early voting in Texas starts on February 19," said Christina Sanders, Black Youth Vote Texas coordinator. "The students don't have sixty days to wait for a response so we are going forward with the march to keep the pressure on the DOJ."

Waller County officials are feeling the heat. They have now agreed to open three additional early polling locations. Still, they refuse to locate a polling place on campus. So, the March for Voting Justice is on.

And it will be held with the full support of the university administration which has already excused students to participate in the march which will be held on the first day of early voting on Feb. 19.

For more information about the march against student disenfranchisement, visit Black Youth Vote.