Longer Lines Reported as Tarrant County Reduces Polling Sites Ahead of Key Senate Race
In Texas' pivotal Tarrant County, a 30% reduction in Election Day polling locations led to wait times of up to two hours, but voters turned out in large numbers for the midterm elections.
Voters in Tarrant County, Texas, faced extended wait times on Tuesday after county officials cut the number of polling places by about one-third. The reduction, implemented by local Republican officials, left 18 sites with roughly an hour of lines and eight sites with waits approaching two hours, according to the county elections website.
Despite the longer queues, turnout remained high in the county, which holds roughly 1.2 million voters and is considered a decisive battleground in the U.S. Senate contest. Residents expressed frustration over the closures. > "I’m here because they closed the convenient voting location at my kids’ school that I voted at last year, because the Republican county-level folks don’t think that I should have a voice," said voter Rainer Sigwald, who ultimately cast his ballot at a Texas Christian University polling site.
Sigwald noted that his flexible job allowed him to vote later in the day, but warned that not all voters have similar flexibility. > "I can do that because I have a super flexible job, which is great. But not everybody has that kind of flexibility," he added, calling for more polling locations.
The county, once a reliable Republican stronghold, has become increasingly competitive as its minority population grows. Local officials reduced polling sites in response to state-level redistricting efforts that added five GOP-leaning districts at the request of President Donald Trump.
First-time voter Joel Umana, a student at Texas Christian University, said the election felt especially consequential amid concerns about inflation and affordability. > "It’s a very complex climate right now. Being a broke college student, that matters a lot to me," he said, adding that he trusts the voting system despite broader GOP claims of fraud.
Election officials have not reported any major disruptions beyond the longer lines, and the county continues to process votes as the midterm results take shape.