A proposal to significantly reduce the number of polling locations in Tarrant County, one of Texas' most populous counties, has ignited protests from Democrats who contend the changes could sow confusion and potentially suppress votes in the upcoming midterm elections. The plan, slated for a vote on Tuesday, would decrease the number of Election Day polling sites by 92 compared to the 2022 midterms.
County officials, however, state the reductions are intended to save resources by eliminating low-turnout locations and consolidating them into more efficient sites. They assert that voters will still have access to over 200 polling locations across the county, which borders Dallas and includes Fort Worth. Tarrant County is home to more than 2 million residents and is considered a key battleground in the U.S. Senate race between Democratic state Rep. James Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
"The most powerful people in this county, the most powerful people in this country, don’t want us to be able vote easily," Talarico said at a news conference on Sunday, urging the county to reject the proposal.
Reducing polling locations is not a new phenomenon in Texas, according to county election officials. Factors contributing to this trend include the adoption of countywide voting systems and challenges in recruiting poll workers. While some Texas counties have considered or enacted polling site reductions, others have increased their number of locations.
"We’re clearly not trying to suppress the vote," stated Rep. Matt Shaheen, the Republican chairman of the Texas House Elections Committee. "That’s a silly accusation."
Tarrant County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig explained that the proposed cuts would allow the county to close sites with minimal voter traffic. According to a county statement, locations near bus stops that met federal accessibility requirements were prioritized for retention. Officials also noted that under the proposed plan, the average distance between Election Day sites would be 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, a Republican, added that the plan avoids "the wasteful practice of placing polling sites directly across the street from one other."
The NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union, along with other voting rights groups, signed a letter on Friday urging the county to reconsider the proposal. They expressed concern that the closures would disproportionately affect areas with a higher percentage of minority voters. Census data indicates that approximately one-third of Tarrant County's residents are Hispanic, and about 19.2% are Black.
Texas law grants each of the state's 254 counties the authority to determine the number of polling places. Tarrant County implemented a countywide voting system in 2019 but had not previously reduced its number of polling locations.
Kristin Miles, Elections Administrator for Bastrop County, located outside Austin, suggested that reducing polling sites could be a reasonable approach depending on their usage. She noted that establishing polling locations in rural areas that serve only a few voters throughout the day might not be practical.
Carol Raburn, who served as an election judge during the March primaries in Tarrant County, described the plan as a form of voter suppression. "Because what happens when people don’t have a convenient place to go vote that’s not too far away from where they are, where they live? They just don’t go vote because they’ve made it so difficult,” she said.