Texas Supreme Court Intervention Leaves Fate of Ballots Uncertain in Two Counties

The Texas Supreme Court's intervention on Tuesday night has left the fate of ballots cast during extended polling hours uncertain in two counties. The court stayed a lower court’s ruling, affecting Dallas and Williamson counties where election officials are awaiting direction on whether to include these ballots in vote totals.

In Dallas County, nearly 280,000 people voted based on unofficial figures from the Elections Department, with about 2,316 provisional ballots flagged for various issues. The confusion led a judge to order polls in Dallas County to remain open for two hours past the scheduled 7 p.m. closing time due to severe voter confusion.

Terri Burke, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, expressed concerns over voter confusion and disenfranchisement due to changes in voting locations. She attributed the chaos to a precinct-only voting system enforced by local Republicans, which voters found confusing and frustrating.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) accused the GOP of targeting Democratic voters, suggesting that Republicans specifically aimed at Dallas County because it is heavily Democratic. The Texas Supreme Court’s decision to stay both decisions in Dallas and Williamson counties has left the fate of these ballots uncertain. Crockett later conceded her Democratic primary race against James Talarico.

Voting rights advocates claim the difficulties amount to voter suppression, raising concerns about how smoothly the November midterms will go. Denisse Molina, a poll monitor with the Texas Civil Rights Project in Williamson County, reported seeing voters routed elsewhere due to inadequate signage and long wait times. The disorder came after a rule change for primary voting, where Democratic and Republican voters were not centralized at one site as in previous elections.