In the aftermath of a widespread voter confusion in the state’s congressional primary this week, a Texas representative is pushing for new legislation to ensure voters receive ample warning if their polling place for a federal election changes location.
A new bill by Rep. Julie Johnson, a Democrat who represents the Dallas area — ground zero for much of the confusion Tuesday night — would set new nationwide minimum requirements for how voters are notified of polling location changes for federal elections.
Under Johnson’s legislation, if a voter’s polling place has changed locations since the previous federal election, the state must notify the voter at least seven days before Election Day by mail, telephone and, if possible, text message or e-mail.
If the polling location is changed fewer than seven days before the federal election, the legislation mandates that “the State shall make every reasonable effort to enable the individual to vote on the date of the election.”
“It ensures that no voter is denied their voice simply because politicians decided to move the goalposts,” Johnson said in a statement. “Our democracy works best when every eligible voter has a clear and accessible path to cast a ballot.”
Of course, the motivation behind Johnson’s bill stems from an experience in her own backyard. “Throughout the primary in Dallas County, voters were able to cast their ballots during early voting at any countywide vote center,” she said. “However, Republicans changed the rules for Election Day — restricting voters to their one assigned precinct location. The result was predictable: widespread confusion.”
On Tuesday evening in Dallas, that confusion led to accusations of voter suppression and prompted a legal dispute. Texas Democrats alleged that hundreds of voters in Dallas and Williamson counties were turned away at the polls.
In Dallas County, a judge ordered the polls to remain open for two additional hours — a move later stayed by the Texas Supreme Court. The courts now have to sort out whether the ballots cast after the polls were initially scheduled to close will be counted.
According to reporting by The Texas Tribune, Dallas County did take steps to notify voters ahead of time. A spokesperson for the Dallas County Elections Department told the publication that the department sent text messages, mailed notices and ran ads on social media and streaming advising voters that on Election Day they would have to go to their assigned precinct.
After Tuesday’s primary, Johnson is now locked in a runoff with former Congressman Colin Allred for the Democratic nomination in Texas’ 33rd Congressional District. That runoff is scheduled for May 26.
Kevin Frey is a congressional reporter for MS NOW.