Tarrant County Proposes Cutting 92 Election Day Polling Sites

Tarrant County officials in Texas have proposed a plan to reduce Election Day polling locations to 224, a decrease of 92 sites compared to the 2022 midterms. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court is scheduled to vote on the proposal this Tuesday. This amended plan follows a more drastic initial suggestion of 176 sites, which commissioners unanimously tabled in August.

Tim O'Hare, the Tarrant County Judge, and Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig defend the reductions as a way to save resources by eliminating low-turnout sites and avoiding the wasteful placement of polling locations directly across from one another. They state that the plan prioritizes sites near bus stops and those meeting federal accessibility requirements, maintaining an average distance of 1.5 miles between locations.

Democratic state Representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, along with Tarrant County Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles, Jr., condemn the cuts. They argue the reductions disproportionately affect minority voters and high-poverty areas with limited transportation. Voting rights organizations, including the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union, have joined the opposition, characterizing the move as voter suppression.

Republican House Elections Committee Chairman Matt Shaheen dismissed these accusations, noting that polling reductions are becoming more common across Texas due to the adoption of countywide voting and challenges in recruiting poll workers.