Tarrant County residents protest plan to cut polling sites

Tarrant County commissioners postponed a vote on a proposal that would lower the number of polling places to 176 after a hearing that drew dozens of community members. Attendees filled multiple rooms and spoke for nearly three hours, voicing concerns that the cuts would hinder voting access in a rapidly growing county.

Former Democratic state representative Lon Burnam was arrested during the August hearing and charged with disrupting the meeting after refusing a judge’s order to lower a microphone. A week later, Fort Worth resident EJ Carrion was arrested on the same charge.

State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, told the court that the plan “didn’t make sense” and warned that it resembled voter suppression. Congressional candidate Danny Minton warned that cutting sites would be a civil-rights violation, and several speakers, including Billy Wilson, accused the commissioners of upholding white-supremacy ideologies.

Only a few speakers supported the reduction. Local resident Jolyn Potenza argued the cuts were based on “facts, efficiency and responsible stewardship.”

Opponents highlighted the impact on specific communities, noting that the University of Texas at Arlington’s polling site would be eliminated and that the changes could disproportionately affect communities of color. Rev. Ryon Price likened the proposal to historic poll taxes and literacy tests, saying it amounted to a “poll takeaway.”