Commissioners Vote to Reduce Polling Sites
Tarrant County commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of reducing the number of polling sites for early voting and Election Day, a decision that would cut the number of locations from 316 during the 2022 midterms to 224 this November. The proposal marks a smaller reduction than originally proposed in August, according to CBS News.
The elections administrator said the cuts are about efficiency, and Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare stated that the new proposal exceeds the statutory minimum. O'Hare also noted that some locations were changed due to buildings no longer being operable and ADA requirements. Several poll workers have expressed support for the plan, citing typically lower turnout during midterm elections.
Opponents argue the cuts could make it harder for some voters to reach the polls, particularly in communities of color, and would eliminate pivotal voting sites at colleges, universities, and community centers. Dozens of residents spoke out Tuesday against the proposal to eliminate 92 polling sites for the November midterm election. Public comments lasted more than two hours, and law enforcement escorted one person out for using profanity, as reported by CBS News.
Debate Over Impact and Motives
Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons raised the county's 2025 redistricting in relation to the polling site reduction. The redistricting maps had sparked weeks of controversy, with residents, local leaders, and civil rights advocates calling for the process to be halted due to concerns about transparency and potential racial gerrymandering. Commissioner Roderick Miles accused the reduction of creating modern-day "poll taxes," a reference to 19th-century voter suppression tools used to stop communities of color from voting.
Simmons proposed an amendment to keep the University of Texas Arlington and Tarrant County College Northeast and Southeast campuses as midterm polling locations, but the amendment was voted down 3-2 twice, according to CBS News.
O'Hare said Tuesday night that higher voter turnout is expected for the upcoming elections. Texas law gives each of the state's 254 counties discretion over how many polling locations to operate, and Tarrant County adopted countywide voting in 2019.
Residents Speak Out at Commissioners Court
Residents again came out in large numbers to voice their opinions about the county potentially closing almost 100 polling locations ahead of this year's midterm elections, as reported by FOX 4 News. Among the voting sites that would be cut is a site on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.
Proponents, including Judge Tim O'Hare, say the county would save $1 million in taxpayer money. Low turnout at certain sites during the 2024 elections was also cited as a reason for the potential closure. Critics of the proposed move say it amounts to voter suppression, with many of the locations that would be shuttered located in areas where residents are mainly people of color.
Opponents also questioned the urgent need to save taxpayer money, noting that Tarrant County is currently on record as having more than $80 million in reserves, according to FOX 4 News.
Vote Delayed to September
The vote to close polling locations was initially scheduled for an August 4 Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting. However, heated debate broke out during that meeting, resulting in multiple clearings of the room after a resident compared the plan to Texas becoming Russia and after another resident called the vote "extremist (expletive)." Multiple people were thrown out of the meeting during public comment. Former Texas State Rep. Lon Burnam was arrested after picking up the microphone during his time and charged with disruption of a meeting or procession.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to table the vote on cutting polling sites until September, according to FOX 4 News. Long lines were again seen outside Tuesday's Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting, and many of those who spoke during the public comment portion voiced their concerns.