Confusion over polling locations and a last-minute Texas Supreme Court decision shutting down extended hours have left many Dallas County voters unsure if their ballots will be counted in this year’s primary elections.
An order by a Dallas County judge to extend voting hours Tuesday was quickly reversed after Attorney General Ken Paxton – who progressed to a runoff against U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the race for a Senate seat – appealed the decision, even as voters at some Democratic polling locations still waited in line.
“When I got there a lot of people were already in line or standing around the doors, they were pretty angry, frustrated and mad, which is understandable,” said Manuel Vazquez, who showed up at his designated polling site in Pleasant Grove at 7:05 p.m. after seeing hours had been extended until 9 p.m.
“We tried to talk to the judges, we were knocking on the door, showing them the post,” he said. “They just ignored us.”
Eventually, both judges left, he said.
“As time was passing you just saw the mood change from angry, mad, frustrated to just sad,” he said. “People were just giving up hope. We were here to vote and now we’re not allowed to vote.”
For those who were able to cast ballots after 7 p.m., it’s unclear what will happen to their votes.
“Voting should occur only as permitted by Texas Election Code,” the order on the Supreme Court's website read. “Votes cast by voters who were not in line to vote at 7pm should be separated."
Dallas County Judge Staci Williams had ordered polls to remain open until 9 p.m. after hundreds of voters Tuesday were turned away from voting sites and redirected because they were at the wrong location. The confusion crashed the county election website where correct polling places are listed, Williams’ order said.
At St. Paul Baptist Church in South Dallas, Rev. Lelious Johnson said the majority of voters who showed up Tuesday were surprised to discover they were at a Republican-only voting site. The Dallas County Republican Party opted for separate primary elections earlier this year after abandoning efforts to hand-count all primary Election Day ballots.
Johnson was worried residents in his neighborhood – many of whom walked to the church to vote – would be turned away and too discouraged to vote. He arranged a bus to help take them to the correct polling site.
“The whole process has to be fair, so the individuals don't have to go all over the community to find out, okay, now where's my precinct voting?” Johnson said. “We have to try to meet the everyday needs of the community where we are, and I think it's important that we do that -- we try to make sure that our community knows that we're here for it."
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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