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This week, the North Texas officials in the Great District have decided to reduce more than 100 polling stations and reduce the number of early voting seats, against the background of increasing concern about GoP to restrict access to voting ahead of the election elections.
Voting 3-2 on Tuesday commissioners in the Tarranth County, which includes Fort Worth, came day after President Donald Trump promised complete the use of postal ballots. The president lacks unilateral power to decide how individual states conduct elections, but his declaration speaks of long -term and unjustified claims of some conservatives that the country’s electoral system is dangerous and vulnerable to wide fraud. Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that he won the 2020 presidential election instead of Joe Biden.
The judge of the county Tarrant Tim O’Hare, who heads the commissioner’s court, also raised many questions about the security of the local elections, helping to start electoral integrity in the district after he became a judge in 2022. As of last summer, however, the unit received less than 100 allegations of voter fraud. He and republican commissioners also reduced financing to provide free bus trips to polling stations for low-income residents. “I don’t believe it is the responsibility of the county to try to reach the polling stations,” O’Hare said at the time. And the commissioners banned the registration of voters inside the constituency buildings after the GOP County leaders expressed concern that, according to them, the left groups were carried out by registration discs. (Propublica and Texas Tribune Previously written about the political influence of O’Hara in Northern Texas.)
On Tuesday, O’Hore voted with two republican commissioners in court for reducing the number of polling stations in the district to 216, decreasing from 331 in 2023. The decision also reduced the number of early voting sites.
The county’s representatives said the move was to save money because they historically see a low voter turnout in the unauthorized election.
Throughout the meeting, O’Hare repeatedly emphasized that the cuts were intended to make the elections more effective. He claimed that in 2019, both transitions to the district, which allows voters to throw the ballot at any polling station in the county, and the expected low turnout made the cuts.
“I would like to guess that 99% of the public cannot call a single thing (2025 newsletter),” he said during the meeting.
The report stated fewer voting sites, which means fewer voters, Brandon Rothinghaus, Professor of Political Science at Houston University.
“If you moved to the polling station away from someone’s home, they are less likely to vote because you increased the cost of voting,” said Rotinghaus, who studied the poll location and its impact on the turnout. “The cost may be your time. It may be your gas.”
The district’s move corresponds to the national tendency, which usually sees that states and locations under the leadership of the Republicans “hold back and limit” as voting often in the name of dismissal of illegal voting or, in the recent case of Tarrant, reducing the costs, Rotinghaus said. This may look like a decrease in voting or reduction in early voting, he said.
According to his words Bats followed only and By requiring photos IDs When the newsletter is off.
No law dramatically affects voter turnout, Rotinghaus said, rather, this team constantly changes politics that can interfere with voting.
“The more you move, how voting is, how difficult it is to understand what they should do and when,” he said. “The lost voter is not usually a voter.”
This is not the first time the Tarrant County was in the forefront in a change of political winds. Earlier this summer commissioners led by O’Hore, voted along the party line to redo the county sections; Such changes usually occur after a decorative census rather than in the middle of the decade. O’hare confessed the purpose of re -registered cards prefer republican candidates.
“It is about the republican against the Democrat, the period,” O’Hara said Dallas WFAA on the eve of the commissioners’ voting on June 3. “When it goes with one of the cards I would like to see the aisle, it is a very likely that we will have three Republicans in the commissioner court.”
In July, Governor Texas Greg Frawl added to redistribution to the agenda A special session of legislation – the step he is apparently The Tribune reports. The proposal has provoked a national fight on the rehabilitation of Congress cards. On Wednesday the Texas House led by GoP held an original voice Accepting a new card Designed to increase the number of national places in the US Congress.
Ebbot also showed concern about the charges of illegal voting, announcing more than 1 million impossible voters from state rolls last year, including more than 6,500 potential problems. Investigation PROPUBLICA, The Tribune and HontabeatHowever, it was found that the number of estimated governor was probably overstated and in some cases.
Concern with cuts
At the meeting on Tuesday, more than three dozen speakers announced the transition to the polling station and early voting places, with some problems that caused the suppression of black, Hispanic and colleges. Several speakers called cuts a more extreme version of unsuccessful effort O’hare Remove eight places for early voting in colleges Last year. Only one person acted in favor of the reduction.
Sabrin Ball, who opposed the decrease in polling stations, said she had been working as a judge of the Republican Commissioner Manni Ramirez in the northwest of Tarrath. She said she saw the rumors that work to find the time to get to the place to choose and vote.
“You don’t save money. You donate democracy to save the dollar,” she said.
Two democratic commissioners, Roderick Miles -Jr. and Alice Simmons voted against the changes after a unsuccessful attempt to delay the decision.
“Everyone deserves the right to take place with which they are comfortable and familiar to go and cast their voice,” said Miles, who represents mostly black quarters that saw a decrease in voting. He later added: “To understand or pick up these rights from us, that we worked a lot to get, unacceptable at any level.”
Symons said it was inappropriate to reduce the venues for voting as Tarrant’s population grows. She noted that members of the Republican court of authorized used this growth as a reason Process the district district this year – Change, which greatly increases the chances of the GOP candidate, defeat it in 2026.
Texas law adopted in May reduces the county Minimum voting places on election day up to 212 – Opening the requirement of 2023 347.
Credit:
Drew Shaw/Fort Worth Report
The Tarranan Clinton Ludwig, administrator of the district’s election, stated that the sites are in line with the new “minimum minimum” state, with a “slightly moved room” when certain planned places are. He told the commissioners that initially proposed cuts were aimed at saving about $ 1 million.
He said he founded a decrease in voter turnout in 2023, in which he noted about 12.5% of the registered voters, he said. The availability and ability to reliably store the voting information, Ludwig said.
He said no commissioner influenced the list and that the guerrilla analysis was not taken into account.
In the office of Ludwig and O’Hara did not immediately respond to requests to comment after the vote. O’hare also did not respond to PROPBLICA and the previous Tribune report about it, giving up List of eight of its basic achievementsIncluding counting costs and reducing real estate tax levels.
Rotinghaus said some Yo-yi counties are in the number of polling stations year after year. He said elections such as in November, usually fewer places than presidential and intermediate. However, Tarrant’s reduction seems “aggressive,” he said.
Once the number of surveys decreases, it usually stays down, Rotinghaus said.
“You usually see that the same number is ongoing at least for the near term,” he said.
Although he ultimately voted in favor of reducing polls, Ramirez pushed into the original list of reduction to early voting sites, some of which, he said, were created and popular with voters. Ramirez said the county should balance access and efficiency. The commissioners then added nine voting seats. O’Hore was a lone vote against this step, saying that some of these sites had historically had turnout.
“The formula where you put these voting sites should be scientific,” Ramirez said in a report before the vote. “It should be based on the population and proximity to additional sites.”
Several members of the City Council of the Fort-Weart called on their constituents to speak out against the efforts as a result of the vote.
Member of the Council Carlos Flores, who represents parts of the North -Western Fort -Uort, issued a statement Against voting, saying that fewer sites have a negative impact on different communities. In a statement to the report, he added that limited polls and uncomfortable voting procedures contribute to low turnout.
Miy Hall representing the South -Western Fort -Uort, sent Issue of the news In her area on Monday, deciphering the proposed cuts in the areas of her area, which are mostly black or Hispanic.
“These communities have long been fighting for fair access to the ballot box, and the removal of the poll is simply unacceptable,” the Hall wrote. “Although I understand the pressure of state rules and budget restrictions, getting rid of entire communities is not an acceptable response.”
Drew Show – Reporter State Liability in Fort Worth. Contact him at the address (e -mail is protected).
