Overview
- The commissioners voted 3-2 on Sept. 1 to set 224 Election Day vote centers and 47 early-voting sites for the November midterms, down from 316 Election Day locations in 2022.
- The split fell along party lines with Republican Judge Tim O’Hare and Commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez in favor and Democratic Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr. opposed.
- County officials and the elections administrator say the plan concentrates trained staff and equipment, meets federal accessibility requirements, and reduces costs that the county estimates at about $22,000 per early-voting site and $4,400 per Election Day location.
- Opponents and student leaders say the cuts remove sites on the University of Texas at Arlington campus and two Tarrant County College locations, which they say will increase travel time and lines and hit students and majority-minority neighborhoods hardest.
- The vote produced an eight-plus hour public meeting, protests, and removed attendees, and civil-rights groups warn of likely legal challenges as early voting runs Oct. 19–30 and Election Day is Nov. 3.