On May 3, during a low-turnout municipal and school board election, 10% of Denton County voters who showed up on Election Day went to the wrong polling place. That’s 1,319 people—registered, ready, and legally eligible to vote—who were told, “Not here.” In a democracy, where every vote should count, this kind of failure is unacceptable. And worse, it’s entirely preventable.
Unlike 99 other Texas counties—including Dallas, Tarrant and Collin—Denton County still refuses to implement countywide Election Day voting, commonly known as “vote centers.” The state authorized this approach back in 2006, and today 85% of Texas voters benefit from the flexibility of casting their ballot at any polling place in their county, just like they can during Early Voting. But not here.
Here, on Election Day, voters must find and travel to a single assigned location to cast a valid ballot. If they show up at the wrong place, they can either try to make it to their assigned polling location before polls close—or cast a provisional ballot that will almost certainly not be counted.
This isn’t just a matter of inconvenience. It’s voter suppression by bureaucracy. And for years, voters and poll workers alike have paid the price.
Election workers across the county have shared stories that reflect the consequences of this outdated policy. In some cases, polling locations saw hundreds of voters redirected. One Democratic polling site in Little Elm had just two actual voters but turned away 300 people who went to the wrong place. In another example, a man in a motorized wheelchair, carrying an oxygen tank, had to travel from Denton to Aubrey just to cast a ballot that would be counted.
These are not isolated incidents. From Frisco to Justin, disabled seniors, first-time voters, and even Republican precinct chairs have been confused and redirected—some to multiple locations—just to vote. Dedicated volunteers have stepped in to drive misdirected voters across town, but they can’t reach everyone. How many voters never made it to their assigned polling site? We’ll never know.
And why does this happen? Until recently, Denton County’s refusal to adopt vote centers was due to opposition from former Republican Party Chair Lacey Riley, whose approval was needed under state law. Riley resigned May 6. Her replacement, Melinda Preston, has the opportunity to correct this mistake.
Vote centers would eliminate the confusion. They would let any registered voter cast a ballot at any polling location on Election Day—just like Early Voting already does. No more voters turned away at the door. No more provisional ballots discarded. No more busloads of seniors asked to drive to three different locations.
This is not a partisan issue. Voters of all political stripes are being turned away. Election workers of all affiliations are begging for a better system. And Denton County’s own data proves the need for change.
It’s time. Denton County must implement countywide vote centers and remove barriers that prevent our neighbors from participating in the democratic process. In a state where turnout is already low, we cannot afford to make voting harder than it has to be.
Go to votingcentersnow.org to take action to solve this problem.
Jane Scholz
Denton, TX
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