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An official vote center sign is seen at Oak Lawn Branch Library on the first day of early voting, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
A New York congressman pitched online voter registration last week in Dallas.<\/p>\n
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The room laughed. Texas doesn\u2019t allow it.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou may have the best barbecue, but you need a better system for people to vote,\u201d U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle said, a moment that underscored the widening divide over voting rules after the March 3 primary turmoil.<\/p>\n
The Democrat later added: \u201c1972 is calling and they want their voting system back.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Vote tabulators in storage at the Dallas County Elections Operations Facility on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Dallas. (Juan Figueroa\/The Dallas Morning News\/TNS)<\/p>\n
Juan Figueroa\/TNS<\/p>\n
The forum, hosted by U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, was in response to the mayhem <\/a>during the primary, when more than 10,000 people went to the wrong polling sites<\/a> after the Dallas County GOP forced a switch from countywide to precinct-level voting.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n An empty bag used to hold Democratic Primary election provisional ballots at the Dallas County Elections Operations Facility on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n Juan Figueroa\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n The fallout didn\u2019t just\u00a0expose logistical breakdowns.<\/a> It intensified a long-running fight over how elections should work, from where Texans can cast ballots to how they register in the first place, with each party pushing sharply different views.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Republican leaders and grassroots activists say voter fraud threatens elections and support aggressive steps to stop it, such as requiring proof of citizenship to register and tightening ID rules.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Democrats dispute the notion of widespread illegal voting and say the GOP\u2019s approach would make it harder for eligible voters to register and cast ballots.<\/p>\n The divide between the parties makes it difficult to implement policies that make it easier and more convenient to vote.<\/p>\n Election fears<\/p>\n President Donald Trump\u00a0has not backed off his disproven charge <\/a>that the 2020 presidential race \u2013 won by Democrat Joe Biden \u2013 was stolen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Even in Texas, where Republicans have controlled politics since 2003<\/a>, some GOP leaders warn that elections are ripe for theft.<\/p>\n Sen. John\u00a0Cornyn, seeking reelection, has called for <\/a>requiring proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote, even signaling support for changing Senate rules to pass such a measure.<\/p>\n His rival in the GOP runoff May 26, Attorney General Ken\u00a0Paxton, has made protecting against \u201cnoncitizens voting\u201d and \u201cballot schemes\u201d a focal point <\/a>of his campaign.<\/p>\n U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n Associated Press and DMN Staff\/Associated Press<\/p>\n In Dallas County, that push led to a high-stakes shift in how ballots were cast last month.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Instead of universal polling places on election day, Republicans forced a return to a system requiring people to vote at their assigned precinct.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite media coverage and efforts at polling sites to redirect voters, the outcome was chaotic, and some likely gave up trying to vote.<\/p>\n The situation could have been worse. The local GOP had explored having primary ballots counted by hand. That would have been costly to the party and taken considerably more time to complete.<\/p>\n Still, the Dallas County GOP\u2019s executive committee lashed out at the party chairman, Allen West, after he signed a contract with the county to return to countywide voting for the runoff.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, and currently the Executive Director of the American Constitutional Rights Union, Lieutenant Colonel Allen West, take part in the pledge of allegiance during a rally, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Mansfield.<\/p>\n Shafkat Anowar\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n As criticism mounted, West resigned last week<\/a> before a planned \u201cno-confidence\u201d vote by the committee.<\/p>\n Expanding fight<\/p>\n The flap underscored a key distinction: primaries are controlled by political parties. It\u2019s their nomination process, unlike\u00a0 general elections run by state and local officials.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n There\u2019s more to come.\u00a0Paxton and the Texas GOP have challenged state laws that require open primaries, seeking to limit participation to registered party members.<\/p>\n The fight builds on years of clashes over election rules. In 2021, Texas Democrats broke quorum to try to block a GOP-backed bill that rolled back practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, including drive-through voting and expanded access to mail ballots.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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