Early voting in North Texas opened with queues of up to 45 minutes at several polling stations on Monday, as voters in Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties turned out ahead of the 3 November midterm election.
The longest waits were reported in Tarrant County, where officials have reduced the number of Election Day polling locations by 92 compared with the previous midterm elections.
Long queues as North Texas early voting begins
Aerial footage showed lines forming outside polling stations at different points throughout the day. Most locations where queues were seen had waiting times of between 30 and 45 minutes, or longer.
Some voters said the level of turnout appeared unusual for the opening day, while others described the queues as broadly expected for an early-voting period.
Oliver Johnson, a Tarrant County voter, said he had hoped to arrive before the crowds but decided it was better to wait and cast his ballot.
“I figured if I get it out of the way now, I won’t have to worry about it later,” he said. “I thought I would get here before everybody else, but unfortunately, it’s been a wait.”
Ericka Rhodes had also expected a quick visit to the polling station. “So yeah, a little long,” she said. “It’s okay. It’s worth it.”
Sandra Howell said she and others had chosen to vote on the first day because of the importance of the election.
Minor problems were also reported at some Collin County locations, where paper ballots were being used. Election officials were expected to assess whether those issues had contributed to delays.
Tarrant County polling locations cut
The queues in Tarrant County came against the backdrop of a dispute over the county’s decision to close 92 polling sites, leaving 224 locations available on Election Day.
County Judge Tim O’Hare and other supporters of the change have said turnout was low at some of the affected sites during earlier elections and that the closures could save about $1 million in public money.
Opponents have alleged that the reductions could make voting more difficult, particularly in communities with large Black and Hispanic populations. A temporary injunction seeking to restore the locations was rejected last week by District Judge Pat Gallagher, meaning the reduced number of sites will remain in place for the election.
Early voting is scheduled to continue through 24 October, with Election Day taking place on 3 November.
