Speak to the Denton County Commission
Add weight to your petition signature by speaking in person!
Every resident of Denton County has the right to address our elected county commissioners during their Public Comment sessions.
They begin at 9 am every Tuesday morning in the new Denton County Administrative Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Drive, Denton (just past Aldi's on Loop 288).
Here's how to sign up
1. Sign up for the meeting you want to attend on Mobilize. In a few minutes after signing up, you'll receive an email with complete instructions where to go and what to do and say.
2. Then sign up in advance for speaking priority for the Public Comment session on the Commission website. Use this link to sign up within 10 days before the Commission meeting you plan to attend. If you don't sign up online, you can do so on the day you speak before 9 am just outside the Commission meeting room. This is important, because if you don't sign up with the county, you won't be called to speak at the Commission meeting.
3. Get to the 3rd Floor commission meeting room by 8:45 am the morning you are scheduled to speak.
• Your name will be called.
• You will stand at a podium.
• You may read your remarks.
• You will be asked to give your name and address.
• The commissioners will listen to you.
• They will not ask questions or argue with you.
• You may leave the meeting when you finish, or sit and watch what happens next.
You are allowed up to 3 minutes to speak, but you don't have to speak for the whole 3 minutes if you don't want to. It's perfectly fine to give your name and street address, then say, "I support Vote Centers," and sit down. They will get the message!
A sample speech to copy-paste and put in your own words.
My name is XXXXX, I am a registered voter in Denton County. I live at (your home address).
(If you are or have been an Election Judge or Clerk, mention it here.)
(If you are a Republican or vote in GOP primaries, mention it here. If you don't usually vote for Republicans it's smarter not to say that!)
I support countywide Election Day voting -- Vote Centers. I am here today to ask that you quickly take action to set up Vote Centers in Denton County so we can vote at any polling place in the county on Election Day, just as we do for early voting.
(If you are/have been an Election Worker, add the polling locations you've worked as a judge or clerk here.)
(Tell the commissioners how long you’ve voted and/or been an Election Worker in Denton County, particularly if it’s quite a while.)
We are blessed with a very secure voting system, yet every year, thousands of legally registered voters suffer a lot of frustration on Election Day and some lose the right to vote because we do not have voting centers on Election Day, as 99 other counties in Texas do.
On Election Day for the 2024 primary runoff, 15% of all voters were turned away at least once. On Election Day Nov. 5, 11% -- 7,000 voters -- were told they could not vote at the first polling place they visited. On Election Day for the city and school board elections May 3, 10% of voters showed up at the wrong location.
(If you or someone you know have been turned away from a polling place, add that anecdote here. If you are an Election Worker and have had to send voters to other locations, add that anecdote.)
I hope you’ll act on this soon. Thank you for your time.
If you need more background information about countywide Election Day voting,
How to find the Denton County Administrative Courthouse
This is the Denton County Administrative Courthouse.
It is NOT the old building on the square in downtown Denton.
The Commissioners meet at One Courthouse Drive, Denton, off Loop 288 north of Aldi's. Take the Lillian Miller exit off I-35, turn onto Loop 288 going north, then right onto Courthouse Drive.
Questions? Email protect.your.vote@votingcentersnow.org