Tell Denton County commissioners:
We want Voting Centers NOW!
Every Election Day in Denton County, a lot of voters show up at polling places, only to be told that, by law, they can’t vote there or, if they do, their ballot likely won’t be counted.
This happens on every Election Day in primaries, in the general election, and in city, county and school board races.
It happens to Republicans, Democrats and independents.
It could happen to you.
Learn why and what you can do about it with just two emails: watch the 14-minute video below, or read this page. Then Take Action.
The Denton County Commission can act to allow registered voters to cast ballots at any polling place in the county on Election Day, but the commissioners have failed to act for three years…
Why is this happening?
• When countywide Election Day voting -- also known as Voting Centers -- was approved by the state legislature years ago, a quirk in the law meant Denton County didn’t qualify.
• That glitch was fixed by the state legislature three years ago. All that’s needed is for our county commissioners to certify that our county meets state requirements for this change to take place, but that has not happened.
Why is this a problem here?
• Denton County is BIG. It’s 33 miles of urban driving from Krum in the northwest to Carrollton in the southeast.
• Most people don’t live, work, shop and go to school in the same place. Many travel outside the county every day.
• Many move within the county.
But I thought we could vote anywhere in the county now…
Yes, you can vote anywhere in the county during Early Voting, but not on Election Day.
On Election Day, you must vote at your assigned polling place, which MAY NOT be the closest to where you live.
What happens if I show up at the wrong polling place on Election Day?
In Denton County, the law requires you be politely redirected to a different location to cast your vote, even if it is miles and miles away, even if you can’t get there before the polls close.
If you do vote in the wrong polling place, you will probably cast a provisional ballot that likely will not be counted.
How many are harmed?
It happens a lot of voters, but we don’t know exactly how many.
•"Redirected" voters are not counted: there might be 0-10 in one polling place, 300-500 in another.
• How many “redirected” voters later cast ballots on Election Day? How many give up? Also not counted.
• Then there are the "wrong polling place" provisional ballots that are rejected and not counted, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Is this voter suppression?
Legally registered voters are discouraged from voting, or their votes not counted.
• This harms voters of all races, political parties.
• It's not as blatant as the violence, poll taxes, or literacy tests of the 20th Century.
Does this happen all over Texas?
No.
On Election Day in Denton County, many voters search frantically for the right polling place,or lose the right to vote, or the right to have their vote counted, but this does NOT happen in the 93 counties with Voting Centers, including Dallas, Collin and Tarrant.
What are Voting Centers?
• Voting centers allow registered voters to vote in any polling place in the county on Election Day, using the same equipment and procedures as on the last day of Early Voting.
• 93 counties with 80%+ of Texas voters have vote centers.
• No county with Voting Centers has gone back to assigned polling place voting on Election Day.
• The Texas Secretary of State reported that “feedback from voters, election officials, and party chairs, along with the turnout percentages, suggests that countywide election polling places offer a way to ensure that voters who plan to vote in the election have an increased opportunity to do so, as they do with early voting.”
Why hasn’t the Commission acted?
All five Commissioners are Republicans. They say they can’t act because “the political parties can’t agree,” but that isn’t exactly true. The Denton Democratic Party is ready to do this immediately.
Here’s what commissioners say in public
At night, after the polls close on primary Election Day every two years, the Denton Republican Party holds meetings where party members select delegates to the county convention.
They say we can’t have Voting Centers because that would force the county party to change when and where they hold these meetings, and the party doesn’t want to.
But the GOP in 93 Texas counties has figured out how to have these meetings AND allow countywide voting on Election Day.
What can I do?
Tell Denton County Commissioners to do their job
and protect your right to vote on Election Day!
It just takes 2 emails!
