Hundreds of people have been turned away from the polls in Dallas and Williamson counties Tuesday amid widespread voter confusion resulting from changes in both counties’ elections rules.
In January, both the Dallas and Williamson County Republican parties did away with countywide voting on Election Day, the Texas Tribune reported at the time. That means voters in these counties — Republicans and Democrats — are now required to cast ballots at assigned neighborhood polling places instead of at any polling place in the county.
The decision forced voters out of the countywide voting system they have used for over a decade, according to Democrats. Many voters were left scrambling to find their assigned precinct after being turned away at polling places throughout both counties on Election Day.
In an emailed statement, the Texas Democratic Party said the result is “confusion, long lines, and working people being told they’re at the wrong location with no clear path to cast their ballot.”
Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat representing the Dallas area, said in a statement that she’s considering requesting a polling extension in light of the confusion in her home county, according to a tweet by journalist Bayliss Wagner.
According to Crockett, nearly 200 people showed up at the wrong polling site in Oak Lawn, due to confusion over where voters needed to go.
“Do not give up and do not give in,” Crockett urged voters in her statement.
Voters are in Dallas and Williamson counties are encouraged to check their precinct before heading out to vote. Those in line by 7 p.m. — at the proper polling location — have a legal right to cast a ballot no matter what time they finally reach the voting machine.
“Let’s be clear about what happened here. Both counties have spent a million dollars trying to get the word out about this change — a million dollars of taxpayer money that didn’t need to be spent,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder said. “Democrats pushed for a joint election. As it has been for eight years, It would have been cheaper, simpler, and more accessible for every voter in the county. Republicans said no.”
“That’s not an accident,” the Texas Democrats added in their statement. “That’s voter suppression.”
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