Live updates: Here’s what’s happening at the Tarrant County polls
Happy Election Day! Tuesday is the last day of voting in the May 26 primary runoff. Voters will decide who will be the Republican and Democratic nominees in key races such as the U.S. Senate, Texas attorney general and railroad commissioner.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 95 locations. To find a voting site near you, use this map. During early voting, 18,600 Democrats and 58,400 Republicans cast a ballot.
For more information about who is on your ballot, check out the Star-Telegram candidate questionnaire.
Follow along with the Star-Telegram to see what voters are saying and who will advance to the Nov. 3 ballot to represent their party.
Wait times rise as polls near closure
6:15 p.m.
The majority of Tarrant County’s polling locations have consistently had no wait throughout Election Day, but as 7 p.m. looms, a few are seeing some short lines.
Most of the wait times are at or below 15 minutes, though the Dionne Phillips Bagsby Southwest Subcourthouse has a 30-minute wait. Typically, anyone still in line at 7 p.m. is still able to cast their ballot.
Benbrook voters are predominantly Republican
1:50 p.m.
At the Benbrook Community Center, the tiny parking lot was full, with cars parked on a residential street. Most of the voters were Republicans.
Republican voter Rana Lambdin said she prioritized voting in the Senate race, like many from her party. She supported Ken Paxton for his consistency and because she wanted someone new in the seat. “Trump’s blessing was icing on the cake,” she said when asked if the endorsement swayed her decision at all.
Democrat Marsha Tweed said she was voting because it’s an important part of being a citizen, but if she could have, she would have voted in the Senate race. Her bid would be for Cornyn because Paxton lies, she said. Cornyn is older, principled and has morals, but a vote for him is also a vote against Paxton, Tweed said. No matter who wins the primary, Tweed said she’ll be voting for Democrat James Talarico in November.
Wait times subside countywide
1:10 p.m.
Across Tarrant County, wait times went back down to zero after lunchtime. The only exception was Westworth Village City Hall. Many polling locations still had a steady trickle of voters come to cast their ballot.
Keller voters unswayed by Trump endorsement
11:52 p.m.
Keller residents casting their ballots around lunchtime said they had made up their minds about who to support before Trump announced his endorsement for Paxton on the second day of early voting.
For Tammy Williams, endorsements don’t matter. She said individuals’ policies and opinions are what guide them on how they will act once in office, not who threw support behind them during the campaign.
Williams voted for Paxton because Cornyn voted too many times for things she didn’t believe in. She also said he has spent too long in office.
Irene Crutchfield said the candidates’ conservatism was the only thing guiding her voting decisions on Tuesday. Paxton is a crook, she said, but at least he’s not a RINO (Republican in Name Only).
Like some other Keller Town Hall voters, Charles Peterson couldn’t figure out why Trump endorsed Paxton in the first place. Peterson cast his ballot for Cornyn because of Paxton’s controversies and record.
Some polling locations see lines of voters
11:14 a.m.
Decked out in American flags for Memorial Day, Keller Town Hall was one of about five polling locations starting to see lines to vote. The others were Charles F. Griffin Building in southeast Fort Worth, Crouch Event Center in Crowley’s Bicentennial Park, White Settlement Public Library and Vernon Newsom Stadium in Mansfield. All the wait times were 15 minutes, according to the Tarrant County wait time map.
Bedford Public Library sees steady trickle of voters
10:12 a.m.
Though there was never a long wait, the Bedford Public Library had a consistent stream of people ready to cast their ballots. Most were Republicans prioritizing the U.S. Senate race.
Brian Hood used a mailer to guide his ballot for the Republican primary. He chose Paxton for Senate, Mayes Middleton for attorney general and Bo French for railroad commissioner because that’s what the Republican Party and Trump suggested.
Ruth Reyes said neither Senate candidate was a good choice, but Cornyn was the “better of the two devils,” so he got her vote.
Republican voter Bruce Balvin said the Senate race was the only important race for him. The others were secondary to his decision to cast a ballot for Cornyn, he said. Balvin said he likes Cornyn’s platform and Trump’s endorsement had no effect on him. Balvin looks to Trump for other things, but not guidance in the Senate race, he said.
U.S. Senate candidates push for voter turnout
7:01 a.m.
Paxton leaned on Trump’s endorsement to make his 7 a.m. reminder to voters that polls are open. The attorney general pushed voters to bring five friends and posted about it on social media to urge more people out to the polls.
Cornyn said in one of his first posts of the day that this race is proven conservative leadership versus “Crooked Ken’s scandals.”
Trump starts off Election Day with a reminder to vote Paxton
4:49 a.m.
Bright and early, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social to vote for Texas Attorney Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race. Paxton won Trump’s endorsement over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who has been in the position since 2002.
The president said Cornyn was “a good man” but hasn’t been supportive enough. Paxton is the man for the job, Trump said.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 8:51 AM.