“Make sure that you’re registered, make sure that your polling place is still available,” said Tarrant County voter Debra Harrison.
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The First Church of the Nazarene in Arlington is one of 92 Tarrant County polling places that will be closed during this election cycle. But political leaders on both sides of the aisle say voters should not let closed polling locations become an excuse not to vote.
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Debra Harrison has been voting since she was 18 years old and going to the polls is in her blood. Her mother even worked at the polls for as long as her health allowed her to do so. Debra is one of 24 siblings and says her parents made voting a family tradition by registering all of their children.
Harrison said voters should be prepared for the start of early voting on Oct. 19.
“Make sure that you’re registered, make sure that your polling place is still available. I’ll be voting here at Active,” Harrison said.
The Active Adult Recreation Center is less than a mile from the First Church of the Nazarene and is among the locations voters can use instead of polling sites that have been closed.
The church is among the 92 Tarrant County polling places shut down by the Republican majority on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in a 3-to-2 vote that sparked heated meetings. Republicans cited that fewer voting polls will save taxpayers money. Democrats argued the move is voter suppression that disenfranchises people of color and people who live below the poverty line.
Both Republican and Democratic county party leaders say they have been working to make sure voters know where they can cast their ballots.
“Turnout is so important,” said Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Tim Davis. “If I could have one message to everybody in Tarrant County, really all across North Texas, it would be to go vote. Don’t let somebody else decide for you. We have this great thing in this country that we get to decide for ourselves. And so don’t let somebody else do that.”
“We are chasing every single voter,” said Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Allison Campolo.
Campolo said close races can come down to just a handful of votes.
“We’ve seen so many races Scoop that go one way or the other, based on one vote on six votes on a on a very slim majority, bringing these people into office or keeping them out of office,” said Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Allison Campolo.
Davis says the stakes are too high for voters to sit this election out.
“Go and place your vote, because there’s just so much at stake in this election that it’s too important not to participate,” Davis said. “Tarrant County is, I think, a great cross-section of all the great things about our country. As I said, great schools, great communities and great voters. I think that’s what we’re going to see over the next few weeks as folks turn out.”
Tarrant County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig says voters should start by using the county’s voter lookup tool to find their assigned polling location. www.tarrantcountytx.gov/voterlookup .
Voters can also use the county’s Find My Ballot page to view, download, or print a sample ballot before heading to the polls. You can find the Tarrant County ballot at www.tarrantcountytx.gov/findmyballot.
During early voting and Election Day, voters can also check real-time wait times before deciding where to cast their ballot at www.tarrantcountytx.gov/votetimes.
Ludwig told WFAA that every person who is registered for the midterm will have an opportunity to cast a ballot either during early voting or on Election Day.
Harrison stress knowing where to go to vote is at the top of the list for every registered voter, along with knowing the candidates.
“It’s important,” said Harrison.
Campolo said voters should remember that every ballot can make a difference.
“Every vote matters. Every single vote counts,” Campolo said. “I hear from others when they visit us that they’re really impressed with how diverse we are. They didn’t realize what Fort Worth and what Tarrant County was like in real terms. People think of this as cowboy hats and longhorn steers, which we do have, but we’re also a super urban county that is majority minority, super diverse, and super highly populated, with over 2 million residents and over 1.4 million voters.”
Davis said Tarrant County could play an important role in determining the outcome of this midterm election.
“In a lot of ways, one of the most important places in the country for the purpose of this election,” Davis said.