Tarrant County Election Administrator Clint Ludwig acknowledged that he did not consider how the cuts would affect Black, Hispanic and low-income voters.
Tarrant County will not be required to restore nearly 100 polling places that county officials cut, a judge ruled Tuesday, dealing a setback to voting rights advocates and minority groups weeks before a high-stakes midterm election.
District Judge Patrick Gallagher did not provide a reason in his one-page decision, handed down after a day of testimony from voters and county officials.
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this month that argued the cuts disenfranchise Tarrant County voters, with the heaviest burden falling on Black and Hispanic communities.
Four women — city councilwoman Deborah Peoples, former city councilwoman Kathleen Hicks, and retired judge Maryellen Hicks, who are all Black, and Fort Worth ISD trustee Camille Rodriguez, who is Hispanic — filed the suit.
“Tarrant County is eroding the right to vote,” Susan Hutchison, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told the judge Tuesday.
After the ruling, attorneys for the plaintiffs noted the judge denied the request but did not dismiss the lawsuit outright as requested by the county. That means the case could return to court, albeit after the election. The judge also did not weigh in on whether the cuts were discriminatory.
“We have to redouble our efforts to make sure everybody votes,” they said in a statement.
Tarrant County officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Dallas Morning News.
The four women told the judge Tuesday they worried the cuts would mean longer commutes and waits to cast a ballot and lower voter turnout on Election Day, particularly in low-income and minority neighborhoods.
For example, in 2022, the 76103 ZIP Code, a predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhood in East Fort Worth, had three polling places. All three were cut this November.
In the 76115 ZIP Code, which is largely Black and Hispanic in south Fort Worth, four of the five polling places were cut.
Maryellen Hicks, 77, said she has mobility issues and worries she will be unable to stand in a long line. Her longtime voting site was among those cuts. Asked where she planned to vote, Hicks replied, “I have no earthly idea, quite seriously.”
Tarrant County Election Administrator Clint Ludwig, who drafted the list of polling places to cut, acknowledged that he did not assess how the reductions would affect Black and Hispanic or low-income voters, who are less likely to have reliable transportation. He also testified that he did not seek input from Black or Hispanic organizations about the reduction.
Ludwig said he considered several factors, such as site availability, previous voter turnout, distance from other polling places and handicap accessibility.
The elections official repeatedly said it would be impossible to add polling places at this point, although he did say the county keeps five to 10 back-up options that could be added if necessary.
Early voting starts Oct. 19, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
County commissioners voted last month 3-2 over the objections of dozens of residents to cut 92 Election Day voting sites, from 316 in 2022 to 224 on Nov. 3. It also cut early voting sites from 50 to 47.
Yet Ludwig said he expects roughly 40% more voters this year than in 2022.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez, all Republicans, voted for the proposal. Democratic commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles voted against the proposal. O’Hare and Simmons are both running for county judge.
Republicans said the move saves money and improves efficiency. O’Hare called the plan sensible and said that “no Tarrant County voter should feel they don’t have enough time to vote.”
The vote unleashed a wave of protests at commissioners meetings and led to at least two arrests for disturbing the public and a lawsuit accusing O’Hare of heavy-handed management and violating freedom of speech. That lawsuit, which is unrelated to Tuesday’s ruling, is pending.
Tarrant County is home to 1.3 million registered voters. In comparison, Dallas County has more than 1.4 million registered voters and nearly twice as many polling places.
Tarrant is considered a prime midterm battleground, with candidates and political action committees pouring substantial time and money into Fort Worth and the surrounding suburbs.
Staff writer
Sarah Bahari is a senior general assignment reporter. She previously worked as a writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where she covered a bit of everything. She is a graduate of Kansas State University.
Breaking News Reporter
Everton is a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. Before joining the breaking news team, he covered Dallas city government. He joined The Dallas Morning News in November 2020 after working for The Oregonian and The Associated Press in Hartford, Conn.
