Primary election polls have closed across most of Texas, but Dallas County kept Democratic polling places open an additional hour after closing time. The extension followed confusion caused by the county’s decision to run the Republican and Democratic primaries on different systems.
Traditionally, both parties’ primaries have operated together on the same day with the same procedures. This year in Dallas County, however, Republicans ran a separate system that required voters to use their specific precinct polling location. That change inadvertently altered how poll workers and voters understood who could vote where. Many Democratic voters who expected to vote at a convenient county location were told they had to go to a specific precinct. The mix-up prevented or delayed hundreds of Democrats from casting ballots.
County Democrats sought a judicial ruling. A local judge ordered county officials to keep Democratic polls open for one additional hour so affected voters could return and cast ballots. Election law still protects voters who are in line when polls close: if you are in line at closing time, you may vote, but the judge’s order specifically extended access for those who were diverted by the precinct-confusion in Dallas County.
The extension may delay final vote tallies and media calls on the Democratic contest because Dallas County is a large jurisdiction whose outstanding ballots could affect margins. On the Democratic side, the main contest cited was between Dallas-area Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Austin-area state lawmaker James Talarico; both campaigns were watching returns and turnout around their home regions. On the Republican side, the U.S. Senate primary included John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Congressman Wesley Hunt. Texas rules require a candidate to receive more than 50% to avoid a runoff; Republicans expected a likely runoff, while Democrats hoped to resolve the nomination without one.
For voters statewide: if you are in line when polls close, you are permitted to vote. In Dallas County specifically, the judge’s instruction meant additional time for Democratic voters impacted by the precinct-change confusion, and county officials were directed to accept ballots from affected voters during that extra hour.