AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic State Rep. John Bucy III is proposing changes to the state’s primaries in response to confusion in Williamson and Dallas counties.

Both counties ended countywide voting for their primaries this year, which enabled voters to select a polling location of their choice. Instead, both counties instituted precinct-level voting, which required voters to vote at an assigned location.

The change sparked controversy and long lines on primary day, with the Supreme Court of Texas stepping in after local judges extended voting hours.

In Williamson County, party chairs disagreed about where to place the blame over the debacle, as the Williamson County GOP made the decision to move away from countywide voting.

Under current Texas law, both parties must agree to host countywide polling locations. Otherwise, both parties must host precinct-level voting.

Bucy said on Wednesday that he plans to file legislation to change that rule. Instead, he wants Democrats and Republicans in each county to be able to make a decision about countywide or precinct-level voting independently.

“When parties can’t choose the option that best serves their community, voters pay the price,” Bucy said during a press conference.

He plans to file the legislation in 2027 and expects bipartisan support.

“This is not about blaming one party or defending another. This is about fixing a system that puts voters in the middle of decisions they don’t control,” the Central Texas state representative said.

Some GOP chairs in the Austin area are skeptical of the proposal.

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Jennifer Fleck, chair of the Travis County Republican Party, said she worries that parties hosting their primaries independently may lead to inconsistencies for voters and strain resources.

“Although I’m not necessarily opposed to that idea, generally, I don’t think practically, it works,” Fleck said. “And the reason it doesn’t work is that Travis County has almost 200 election day polling locations. In order for the parties to differentiate, one has countywide, and one has precinct-level, which would most likely require doubling polling locations.”

She said it may be feasible if the parties were required to share polling locations.

Williamson County GOP chair Michelle Evans told CBS Austin that while she supports party autonomy, she’s skeptical of what the proposed legislation may look like.

“It doesn’t seem to be voter confusion that they’re actually trying to minimize. What they’re trying to minimize is the ability for Republicans to reduce countywide voting, to get back to precinct-level voting, which is something that is supported by the Republican Party of Texas platform,” Evans said.

The official platform of the Texas Republican Party supports eliminating countywide voting.

The 2024 platform endorses, “Striking Chapter 43.007 Countywide Polling Place Program in the Texas Election Code and requiring PRECINCT ONLY voting for any in-person voting with the use of paper poll books only.”

Bucy said that if the legislation results in more local confusion, voters will be able to hold individual parties accountable.

“This is a step in the right direction to make sure that if it does create more confusion, you have a way to deal with it at the ballot box, and that’s by electing new leadership for your party,” he said.

In Williamson County, the Republican Party has agreed to return to countywide voting in the May runoff election.

Evans said she wants to work toward implementing the Republican Party’s platform in Williamson County.

“Precinct-level voting is founded in the principle that you’re going to be voting in or near your neighborhood, in your community with the voters in your community,” she said.