Court denies Travis County GOP's petition to replace poll workers

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Texas Third Court of Appeals denied an emergency motion filed by the Travis County Republican Party this week that asked the court to order the County Clerk to replace election officials at polling sites, alleging there was an imbalance of Democrat and Republican poll workers.

The TCRP filed the motion on Wednesday and requested quick action from the court. A response came a day later and simply said the motion was denied.

“We are pleased the Third Court of Appeals dismissed the lawsuit so quickly," read a statement from the County Clerk's Office. "This sends a strong message to our staff and election workers that their hard work is valued. We take all allegations of this nature seriously but are not distracted from administering an open and accessible election for all eligible voters. We appreciate the continued dedication of the team of bipartisan election workers and their ongoing commitment to serving Travis County.” 

In a news release earlier this week, the TCRP alleged nearly a quarter of polling sites in the county do not have any Republican alternate judges and half of the sites do not have any Republican poll workers for the morning or evening shifts.

The release also said the TCRP sent the County Clerk's Office a list of 900 names of qualified Republican volunteers in June. The party alleged only 72 Republicans were selected for the 306 total clerk positions.

KXAN reached out to TCRP Chair Matt Mackowiak for a response to the court's ruling. This article will be updated once a response is given.