“People have been disenfranchised,” said U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett at her watch party for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Texas.
Rep. Crockett, who is in a heated race with state representative James Talarico, told a waiting crowd in Dallas that Kardall Coleman, the Dallas County Democratic Party chair, filed a lawsuit after voters began reporting that their precincts had been changed without their knowledge.
The switch occurred last year, when Dallas County Republicans changed from countywide Election Day vote centers, forcing Democrats to do the same. Originally, the voting protocol allowed voters to cast ballots at any precinct, but the new system granted that access only during early voting. Dems cited that the polling process would confuse participants. Indeed, it did.
To rectify the situation, courts ordered the polls to remain open until 9 p.m. rather than closing at 7 p.m. Shortly thereafter, the Texas Supreme Court stayed a ruling ordering the shutdown of polling places in Dallas County and the marking of only those votes that came in at the original ending.
Rep. Crockett pointed out the issue of how voting clerks would determine which vote arrived during the allotted time period. The area has the second-largest voting population after Houston.
Billed as the most expensive Senate primary in history, two Democrat darlings—for different reasons—squared off in a heated race. Crockett billed herself as an experienced legislator who stood up to the current Administration, while Talarico posited himself as one who prefers love over brawling as a path to effective leadership.
The victor will face either Longtime Sen. John Cornyn or Ken Paxton in November’s midterm elections. The Republican candidates are heading to a May runoff.
As of 2 a.m. Eastern Time, Dallas County votes are still being tabulated.
