Tarrant primary voters are turning out in greater numbers than they did four years ago
Tarrant County voters are setting a new pace.
More voters cast ballots in the first three days of early voting in the presidential primary election than did in the 2016 primary.
This year, 21,507 votes — 12,481 by Republicans and 9,026 by Democrats — were cast, compared with 20,148 during the same period four years ago.
“It is a presidential primary, so there’s high interest,” said Heider Garcia, Tarrant County’s election administrator. “And the population has grown so there’s a larger number of voters than there were in 2016.”
Garcia said voting in Tarrant County has gone smoothly.
“There haven’t been any complaints,” he said. “I haven’t heard about long lines or any major issues that have prevented anyone from voting.”
The presidential primary candidates aren’t the only one on the ballot. In Tarrant County, there’s a slew of local races stretching from Congress to the courthouse.
Early voting for the March 3 primary runs through Feb. 18.
Garcia reminds voters that early voting polls are open on the weekends and Sunday is traditionally the slowest day.
“For people who hate lines, that’s the perfect day to vote,” he said.
Election tips
Election officials encourage voters to review sample ballots ahead of time, to be familiar with the races on the ballot. Sample ballots can be found on Tarrant County’s election website at tarrantcounty.com.
In fact, Garcia said voters can bring sample ballots with them. Or they can bring a “cheat sheet” where they’ve written down the names of people they want to vote for, he said.
Some other tips:
▪ You can vote anywhere in the county during early voting and on Election Day.
▪ Remember that you’ll be using new voting equipment the county bought last year. If you voted in the November constitutional amendment election, then this will be your second time on the new machines. These machines have a touchscreen where voters can review the ballot and make their choices. The machine will print a list of the choices made, which will be placed in a scanner.
▪ Bring a current photo ID to the polls. There are seven state-approved photo IDs: Texas driver’s license, Texas election identification certificate, Texas personal identification card, Texas license to carry a handgun, U.S. military ID card with photo, U.S. citizenship certificate with photo, and U.S. passport.
▪ If you need a ride to vote, it’s free. Tarrant County officials OK’d spending as much as $20,000 to give voters rides on Trinity Metro’s fixed-route bus, ACCESS paratransit, Tarrant County Transportation Services (TCTS), Northeast Transportation Services (NETS), Arlington’s Via and Handitran.
For information about voting, call the Tarrant County Elections Center at 817-831-8683.
To learn more about the candidates on the March 3 ballot, check out the online Star-Telegram voter’s guide.
WHERE TO VOTE
Early voting runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 24-28.
Locations:
- Tarrant County Elections Center, 2700 Premier St., Fort Worth. This is the main early voting site.
- Arlington Subcourthouse, 700 E. Abram St.
- Asia Times Square, 2615 W. Pioneer Parkway, Grand Prairie
- Bedford Public Library, 2424 Forest Ridge Drive
- Benbrook Community Center, 228 San Angelo Ave.
- B.J. Clark Annex, Room 4, 603 Southeast Parkway, Azle
- Bob Duncan Center, 2800 S. Center St., Arlington
- Center for Community Service Junior League of Arlington, 4002 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington
- Colleyville City Hall, 100 Main St.
- Crowley Recreation Center, 405 S. Oak St.
- Dan Echols Center, 6801 Glenview Dr., North Richland Hills
- Diamond Hill-Jarvis Library, 1300 NE 35th St., Fort Worth
- Euless Family Life Senior Center, 300 W. Midway Dr.
- Elzie Odom Athletic Center, 1601 NE Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington
- Forest Hill Civic and Convention Center, 6901 Wichita St., Forest Hill
- The REC of Grapevine, 1175 Municipal Way
- Griffin-Poly Subcourthouse, 3212 Miller Ave., Fort Worth
- Handley-Meadowbrook Community Center, 6201 Beaty St.
- Hurst Recreation Center, 700 Mary Dr.
- James Avenue Service Center, 5001 James Ave.
- JPS Health Center Viola M. Pitts/Como, Lower Level, Suite 100, 4701 Bryant Irvin Road N.
- Keller Town Hall, 1100 Bear Creek Parkway
- Kennedale Community Center, 316 W. Third St.
- Longhorn Activity Center, 5350 Basswood Blvd., Fort Worth
- Mansfield Subcourthouse, 1100 E. Broad St.
- Northeast Courthouse, 645 Grapevine Highway, Hurst
- Northside Community Center, 1100 NW 18th St.
- Saginaw Senior Citizen Center, 405 S. Belmont St.
- Sheriff’s Office North Patrol Division, 6651 Lake Worth Blvd., Lake Worth
- Southlake Town Hall, 1400 Main St.
- South Service Center, 1100 SW Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington
- Southside Community Center, 959 E. Rosedale St., Fort Worth
- Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave.
- Southwest Subcourthouse, 6551 Granbury Road, Fort Worth
- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Naylor Student Center, 1900 W. Boyce Ave.
- Tarrant County College Northwest Campus, WFSC 1403A, 4801 Marine Creek Parkway, Fort Worth
- TCC Northeast Campus, Student Center NSTU — The Galley, 828 W. Harwood Road, Hurst
- TCC South Campus, Student Center SSTU 1112, 5301 Campus Drive, Fort Worth
- TCC Trinity River Campus, 300 Trinity Campus Circle
- Tarrant County College Southeast Campus, EMB-C Portable Building, 2100 Southeast Parkway, Arlington
- Tarrant County Plaza Building, 201 Burnett St.
- TCU, Brown-Lupton University Union, 2901 Stadium Drive
- Texas Wesleyan University, Baker Building, 3021 E. Rosedale St.
- UNT Health Science Center, MET 2nd Floor Mezzanine, 1000 Montgomery St.
- UTA, Maverick Activities Center, 500 W. Nedderman Drive, Arlington
- Villages of Woodland Springs Amenity Center, 12209 Timberland Blvd., Fort Worth
- White Settlement Public Library, 8215 White Settlement Road
