Waller County once again voted last night to deny students at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) equal and accessible access to vote on campus in the first early vote week of the midterm election.

"Here we go again. Once again, Waller County has decided to go back down its discriminatory path to deny hundreds of students of color the ability to cast their vote on the Prairie A&M University campus during the first week of early voting," said Senator Miles.

Yesterday, Waller County Commissioner's Court held an emergency meeting to revisit their election plan and expand early voting on campus at PVAMU, the second oldest Texas public university and a Historically Black College. The Commissioners Court voted on October 17 to uphold a previous plan to only provide three days of early voting on the PVAMU campus in the second week.

"I worked extensively with Senators Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) and Royce West (D-Dallas), the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), students and leaders from PVAMU and Waller County Commissioners Court in hopes that an amicable solution could be met. Unfortunately, Waller County Commissioner's Court refused to provide equal access and opportunity to vote during the entire early voting period compared to other parts of the county," said Senator Miles.

Waller County has a long, well-documented history of voter suppression, which dates back to 1979 when the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Black students who registered to vote at their college address.

"Nevertheless, students still face residency challenges and impediments to registration and equal access to voting sites. The fact is, the current political structure in Waller County is fearful of Texas's rising diversity and increased political activity that PVAMU embodies," said Miles.

The LDF states in its October 22 complaint, "PVAMU had one of the highest numbers of early votes cast in the November 2016 Election and March 2018 Primary. Thus, Black student voters at PVAMU are more likely than other residents of Waller County to need and depend on the opportunity to vote early on-campus."

"Voting is our most sacred constitutional right. It is our voice," said Senator Miles. "I want to thank the students at PVAMU for their avid defense of this right and the courage in this fight. It's time for Waller County to heed their voices and once and for all and provide equal opportunity to all eligible voters, as guaranteed under the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act."