Vacancies in Tarrant County
As election day kicked off, voters across North Texas lined up outside polling centers to cast their ballots in the primary election.
In Tarrant County, some voters found vacant polling places early Tuesday morning and were directed to vote at other locations.
Voting center in Tarrant County this morning. Dem voters are being directed to a couple other locations 2-3 miles away#TexasPrimary pic.twitter.com/fhZkd2QPD3
— Jason Allen (@CBS11JasonAllen) March 1, 2022
A written statement from the Tarrant County Democratic Party reported 11 vacancies at polling locations throughout the county when they opened.
The statement said this was due to an unusually high number of last-minute cancellations by election judges. It also mentioned that the Republican Party reported vacancies at some voting locations in the county.
The Tarrant County Democratic Party said by the afternoon, all vacancies were filled.
Dallas residents share why they're voting
Despite the issues in Tarrant County, voters throughout the region headed to the polls — with different concerns top of mind.
In East Dallas, Eric Warheit stood at the end of the line outside the Lakewood Branch Library. He votes regularly and said it’s important to have a voice, especially during the midterm elections.
Warheit said his number one issue is “rationality” and voting for candidates who are open to dialogue.
“[I’m] just here to vote for folks who I think will support us having discourse and democracy instead of just fighting, bickering and division,” Warheit said.
In South Dallas, Donald Payton stood next to a park bench in front of the Martin Luther King Branch Library while he asked people if they were going to vote.
Payton is campaigning for Presiding Probate Judge of Dallas County Court No. 2 Ingrid Warren. He said the issue he cares about the most is healthcare and the ongoing pandemic.
“We're not actually asking for anything out of the ordinary, we want just things that make life and quality of life better,” Payton said. “Because if you're not healthy, nothing else really matters.”
At Hamilton Park Methodist Church in North Dallas, Donna Greene and her son LJ sat in their car waiting to give voters candidate information. She says she cares most about fairness in the courts.
“[I want] people that have been using their heart to judge and not just their head,” Greene said. “That they're fair.”
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