Community and advocacy groups are rallying voters in Tarrant County, Texas, after county officials closed dozens of early and Election Day polling locations weeks before the upcoming midterm elections. The county's five-member Commissioner's Court voted in September to cut 92 polling locations, reducing the total from 316 in the 2022 midterm elections to 224 this year.
Tarrant County, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, is a key battleground in Texas politics. While it voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, it narrowly supported Joe Biden in 2020, making it a competitive "swingy" region, according to political science professor Keith Gaddie. Republicans on the court argued the closures would save money by consolidating underutilized sites, while Democrats contended the reductions would disproportionately affect marginalized communities and create barriers to voting.
An analysis by ABC News and its owned television stations found that 40% of the polling place losses occurred in 21 ZIP codes with more than 75% non-white residents. For example, ZIP code 76010, which is 86% non-white with a median household income of $45,466, saw its Election Day polling places decrease from eight in 2022 to three this year. Similarly, ZIP code 76119, 93% non-white with a median household income of $51,267, reduced its sites from nine to three.
In response to the closures, the Tarrant County-Fort Worth chapter of the NAACP has launched a campaign to inform voters about the changes and assist them in reaching the polls. "Everyone should be given an opportunity to be able to have access to the polls without having to battle," said Estella Williams, the chapter's leader. The organization is conducting phone banking and texting campaigns to notify voters who previously used now-closed locations. They have also partnered with Trinity Metro to offer free roundtrip bus rides to polling sites during early voting and on Election Day.
Despite the reduced number of polling stations, early voting turnout in Tarrant County after the first week was up 63% compared to the first week of the 2022 midterms. However, reports from local affiliate WFAA indicated that many voters experienced long lines, waiting for hours to cast their ballots.
County Judge Tim O'Hare, who supported the polling site closures, stated that the remaining 224 locations exceed the statutory minimum and ensure "safe, accessible location[s] with secure equipment" without having sites "directly across the street from one another."