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Change in primary voting rules leads to confusion in 2 Texas counties as voters are turned away - AP News

📍 Confusion erupted on Tuesday in Dallas and Williamson counties after a rule change ended countywide voting in favor of precinct-only voting for the primary.

🚫 Hundreds of voters, including Jasmine Crockett's supporters, were turned away from their usual polling locations and directed to different precincts based on new rules.

⚖️ A Dallas judge ordered polls open two hours past 7 p.m. due to severe confusion that crashed the election office website, but the Texas Supreme Court stayed this decision late Tuesday night.

📉 Separately, ballots cast after the official close in both counties will be segregated pending legal review, meaning their final count remains uncertain and disputed.

🗳️ The chaos occurred during a tight Democratic Senate race between Rep. Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, with Crockett stating her campaign cannot settle without Dallas results.

📢 Local Democrats described the situation as voter suppression efforts and reported being overwhelmed by hundreds of calls from confused voters seeking correct polling locations.

🏛️ The rule change was enacted by local Republican parties under state law that requires both major parties to agree for countywide voting to remain in effect.

⚠️ Voters were told they could no longer vote at their preferred centers within the county, adding a layer of complexity on top of recent redistricting changes.

📣 Dallas County officials admitted they increased outreach efforts with signs, ads, and tablets at precincts but still did not track how many voters were turned away.

⚖️ Legal experts noted that while the state Supreme Court's preliminary order does not mandate discarding ballots, the final count is far from clear.

Bullish Signals
  • Dallas County Judge ordered polls to remain open for two hours past the scheduled 7 p.m. closing time due to severe voter confusion and a crashed election office website.
  • Two precincts in Williamson County were successfully extended beyond the scheduled close following requests from the local Democratic Party.
  • Texas was among three states that kicked off the 2026 midterm elections Tuesday, alongside North Carolina and Arkansas, marking a smooth start despite localized issues.
  • Dallas College student Tomas Sanchez and others showed up to vote at their campus locations, demonstrating strong voter engagement and participation in the Democratic primary.
  • Former poll workers were stationed outside voting locations with tablets to help people find the correct place to cast their ballot, ensuring assistance for voters.
  • The Dallas County Elections Department was actively deploying signs, ads, text messages, and mailers to inform voters about the change in voting procedures.
  • Despite initial confusion, both candidates Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico stated that every vote must be counted, indicating a commitment to ensuring all ballots are considered.
  • Renea Hicks, a Texas appellate lawyer, noted that the Supreme Court's preliminary action does not mean ballots will be discarded, leaving open the possibility they will eventually count.
Risk Factors
  • Confusion over new voting rules led to an untold number of potentially disenfranchised voters across Texas.
  • Dallas County judge ordered polls open two hours past 7 p.m. due to severe confusion causing election office website crashes, only for the Texas Supreme Court to later stay that decision.
  • The Texas Supreme Court ordered ballots cast after 7 p.m. scheduled close in Dallas and Williamson counties to be separated, with uncertainty about whether they will eventually be counted.
  • Hundreds of calls flooded the Dallas Democratic Party offices from voters trying to locate their new precinct-based voting locations after countywide voting was discontinued for this primary.
  • Voting extensions were limited only to specific precincts despite initial confusion extending hours at polling locations in other areas like El Paso County.
  • New precinct lines finalized in December left little time for adequate voter notification, with congressional districts also remapped during redistricting.
  • Campaign representatives from both sides, including Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, denounced the effects on voters, with Crockett stating the race cannot be settled without Dallas County results.
Full Analysis
The primary voting rules changed for two Texas counties created mass confusion on Tuesday, leading to voter turnaways at polling locations, legal disputes, and threats of further action from state officials. In Dallas County, home to Democratic Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett, the local Republican party opted against a countywide voting system that had been in place for seven years, requiring voters to cast ballots only at their assigned precincts instead of anywhere within the county. This sudden shift caused significant voter confusion, contributing to the Dallas County election website crashing and prompting a judge to order polls to remain open for two hours past the 7 p.m. closing time due to "voter confusion so severe." Similarly, Williamson County north of Austin faced issues where Democrats secured extensions for two precincts after voters arrived at incorrect locations. The Texas Supreme Court intervened later in the evening on requests from the Texas attorney general's office, issuing a stay that ordered ballots cast by voters not in line by the 7 p.m. scheduled close to be separated pending further review. Legal experts like Renée Hicks, a longtime Texas appellate lawyer, noted that while the court's action was preliminary and did not explicitly state whether the separated ballots would eventually be counted, the uncertainty remains significant. Crockett declared that her race against James Talarico cannot be settled without results from Dallas County, stating directly, "people were disenfranchised," while Talarico's campaign emphasized their concern over reports of voters being sent elsewhere and insisted every vote must be counted. Adding to the turmoil, Nic Solorzano, a spokesperson for the Dallas County Elections Department, explained that voting locations might now be specific to a voter's party affiliation, requiring individuals like student Tomas Sanchez to travel miles to their assigned precinct instead of their usual campus location. The county elections department acknowledged they were not tracking the exact number of people turned away, though officials noted hundreds of calls flooded the Dallas Democratic Party hotline seeking guidance amid redistricting changes finalized in December that left little time for voter notification. While voting proceeded fairly smoothly in other areas of Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas also began their 2026 midterms Tuesday, with minor issues such as electronic poll book delays in a rural North Carolina county causing a statewide result delay.