Denton County voters will have to continue to wait for countywide voting centers on election day for at least one more election cycle. The deadline for county commissioners to implement centers where any voters can cast a ballot, regardless of precinct, has passed for the Nov. 5 election.
Voters might not have had to wait. Denton County officials had the authority to implement voting centers 鈥� without needing political party consent 鈥� for the general election before the deadline of July 29.
A Texas Secretary of State鈥檚 Office spokesperson confirmed via email that a commissioners court can implement countywide polling places for a November general election, and it doesn鈥檛 require party consent.
Only during the primaries would the Denton County Democratic and Republican parties need to agree to use countywide polling places, according to the secretary of state鈥檚 spokesperson.
County spokesperson Dawn Cobb provided a statement regarding commissioners鈥� decision to hold off.
鈥淐ommissioners Court is aware of the extensive process required to establish countywide voting centers before such systems can be put in place including an application by deadline, holding public hearings, creating communications plans and more,鈥� according to the statement.
Wouter van Erve, a political science professor at Texas Woman鈥檚 University, said mentions a party approval requirement only for primary elections, not general elections.
鈥淭he law does mention a requirement of party approval, but only for the countywide polling place option to be used in primary elections,鈥� van Erve said via email.
Van Erve said the Texas Secretary of State鈥檚 Office would be satisfied with a decision by the Commissioners Court, provided that they have held a public hearing and submitted documentation listing the steps taken to solicit input on participating in the program by organizations or persons who represent the interests of voters and meet several technical and operational requirements.
According to Secretary of State Jane Nelson鈥檚 office, 90 Texas counties have been approved to use countywide voting for general election day.
When the county implements voting centers, Denton County voters would be able to cast their ballots at any polling site on election day, regardless of which precinct they live in. Currently, voters can vote at any site only during the early voting period; on election day, they must head to the polling site assigned to the precinct they live in.
With a population of over 1 million residents, Denton County is one of the few large counties in Texas that haven鈥檛 implemented voting centers. In 2021, then-state Rep. Michelle Beckley, D-Carrollton, led the charge for countywide voting centers in Denton County; the county approved the creation of voting centers the same year.
the Denton Record-Chronicle that the county Democratic and Republican parties had to agree on implementing voting centers in the county.
The county said Monday that both parties still need to agree on primary election voting at centers before it can move forward with voting centers.
One requirement specifically states a county must demonstrate that 鈥渁ll local joint election issues have been resolved,鈥� according to the county鈥檚 statement on Monday. 鈥淎s it stands today, the local political parties do not agree to hold a joint election in the primary.鈥�
The county claims that adding voting centers in Denton County could potentially confuse voters casting their votes.
鈥淓ven if Denton County were granted permission to proceed with the understanding that primary elections would not be joint, that would mean in every election other than a primary election, voters could use vote centers and vote anywhere in the county,鈥� the statement reads.
鈥淲hen the primary election is held, voters would have to revert to precinct-based voting just for that election which could result in voter confusion.鈥�
Delia Parker-Mims, chair of the Denton County Democratic Party, previously told the Record-Chronicle the party is in favor of adding county voting centers.
鈥淚 just think that our commissioners need some political will and be reminded that they鈥檙e in office to make voting accessible to everyone and not to be playing partisan games,鈥� Parker-Mims said in a phone call Monday.
The Record-Chronicle contacted county Republican Party Chair Lacey Riley, who had not responded by Monday evening.
The Record-Chronicle asked readers on social media whether the county should have voting centers. Nearly 200 comments suggest many people are in favor of the idea.
In a phone call, van Erve said research suggests that voting centers often have only a modest effect on voter turnout. Sometimes turnout decreases, especially among minority groups, due to precinct locations that close when voting centers open, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really dependent on what sort of election is going on,鈥� van Erve said.
He said even if there isn鈥檛 a large increase in voter turnout, voter centers would allow Denton County residents more opportunities to vote easily.
鈥淭here could be a modest increase if you do it thoughtfully and if you make sure that access is maintained by operating a large number of polling places,鈥� van Erve said.
Van Erve doesn鈥檛 understand why county leaders have made a partisan issue of voting centers rather than asking residents if they want them.
鈥淚 am also not quite sure why the commissioners are looking for partisan consensus on this,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f anything, they should ask the voters.鈥�
Flower Mound resident Debbie Chester said she has worked as a poll worker and alternate election judge for the past several elections at three different locations here in Denton County.
Chester has seen the frustration of turning away voters who have gone to the wrong voting precinct numerous times.
She said some voters assumed they could vote in the same precinct they voted in previously, but were turned away due to the changes in precincts.
鈥淔rom my experience, it just seems to be frustrating voters,鈥� Chester said. 鈥淚t casts doubt on the system and seems to suppress the voters.鈥�
Another Flower Mound resident, Fawn Munro, is one of many who have emailed the Commissioners Court about implementing voting centers in June. She emailed Precinct 3 Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell to voice her concerns.
鈥淢any voters in the county fail to vote on Election Day due to the lack of these voting centers,鈥� Munro wrote. 鈥淭hese voters make an all too common mistake by showing up at the wrong polling location on election day.鈥�
Mitchell wrote back to Munro, saying she had the option to address commissioners during their Tuesday meeting.
Munro told the Record-Chronicle via email she has yet to discuss her concerns since emailing Mitchell but plans to speak to commissioners after the general election.
Early voting for the Nov. 5 general election runs from Oct. 21 through Nov. 1.