Tarrant County Republicans Slash Polling Sites, Threatening Voter Access
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In a blatant move to suppress voter turnout, Republican leaders in Tarrant County voted to reduce Election Day polling locations by 30% for the November midterms, drawing fierce criticism from Democrats and community advocates.
On Tuesday, Tarrant County officials, led by Republican leadership, voted to slash the number of Election Day polling sites from 316 in 2022 to just 224 for the upcoming November midterm elections—a drastic 30% reduction. Early-voting locations are also being cut, from 50 to 47. These regressive decisions were forced through in separate 3-2 votes, with County Judge Tim O’Hare and Commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez pushing the plans, while Commissioners Roderick Miles Jr. and Alisa Simmons stood against this attack on democracy.
Proposals to retain polling sites at the University of Texas at Arlington and two Tarrant County College campuses were callously rejected, as was a measure to restore dozens of other essential locations. The vote drew a large, outraged crowd to the commissioners’ meeting, with many residents holding signs demanding accountability and urging officials to be voted out for undermining the right to vote.
State Rep. Chris Turner (D) condemned the removal of the university site, calling it “not a neutral decision” and highlighting how it creates barriers for young and first-time voters. He also criticized the targeting of Bethlehem Baptist Church, a site that had recently seen increased voter engagement, as another example of disenfranchisement.
University of Texas at Arlington student Kayla Gillespie stressed the vital importance of campus polling sites for student accessibility, while Commissioner Alisa Simmons pointed out the undue burden placed on students now forced to travel a mile to vote. Commissioner Roderick Miles emphasized that polling locations are more than just physical spaces—they are pillars of community participation, and transportation barriers disproportionately harm those without cars.
A damning analysis cited by Simmons revealed that the cuts would devastate high-poverty ZIP codes, which would lose 41% of their polling sites, compared to just a 15% loss in affluent areas—an unmistakable act of targeting marginalized communities.
After facing overwhelming public opposition, County Judge Tim O’Hare postponed the final vote to September 1, but he now faces a tough re-election fight against Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who has rightly called the closures a “deliberate act to reduce voter access.”
Democratic candidates, including state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, denounced the reductions as outright voter suppression and called on residents to resist these undemocratic changes by turning out to vote in even greater numbers.