Polls closed: Over 101,000 vote in Tarrant County on Election Day
Follow the Star-Telegram as we track of the latest Election Day news from Fort Worth area voting sites.
As polls close in Tarrant County, turnout becomes clear
On Election Day in Tarrant County, 101,458 people voted, according to unofficial Tarrant County Elections Administration data. More ballots were cast between 7 and 8 a.m. than during any other hourlong period on Tuesday.
The total Tarrant County turnout, which includes Election Day, early voting and provisional ballots, was 64.21% of registered voters.
Most of the ballots, 85.5%, were cast during the early voting period, 13% on Election Day and 1.5% were provisional, according to the elections administration data.
Few problems, short lines reported at most polling places
Nearly 86,000 people had voted on Election Day as of 5 p.m. in Tarrant County, bringing the total turnout to 62% of registered voters.
Most of the polling places visited by the Star-Telegram this afternoon had minimal waiting times and short lines.
Blue Mound City Hall, near Saginaw, and the Southeast Branch Library in Arlington have seen the longest wait times with up to a 60-minute wait, according to a map from the county with wait times at voting sites.
“It’s a really nice day, so I don’t mind waiting,” said Katelyn Day as she stood at the back of a line with some 30 people outside Blue Mound City Hall. Most of the people walking out of the voting center said they spent some 30-45 minutes in line. A total of 302 people had voted there between 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., according to officials.
But some polling places saw much smaller crowds. At Community Christian Church near Fort Worth’s Historic Southside, one of the county’s areas with the lowest voter turnout during early voting, a total of 32 people had cast their ballot as of 3:30 p.m.
“I’m not sure people know we’re here,” said Greta Moss, 59, who was working at the polling place. “It’s been a slow day except for a few problems here and there.”
The polling place opened about 15 minutes late because the computer to check voter registrations wasn’t working. In the afternoon they were having issues with the scanner. The Star-Telegram had visited a dozen polling places as 5 p.m. and half reported similar technical issues throughout the day.
Late opening at Northwest Library, long waits reported at other sites
Nearly 400 people had voted today at Northwest Branch Library, 6228 Crystal Lake Drive, shortly before 1 p.m. The branch opened almost an hour late because they did not have a key to open the door, according to one of the poll workers. The election judge at the voting center denied comment and directed questions to Tarrant County officials.
Tarrant County and City of Fort Worth officials did not immediately respond to comment.
Earl Miller, 62, of Fort Worth was in and out of the polling place in less than 10 minutes at around 12:30 p.m. He said he voted straight ticket without any problems.
“I wanted to come out to vote on election day because it makes a bigger statement and has more significance,” Miller said. “I’m voting because I care about the economy and how things with the pandemic are being handled.”
More than 57,000 had voted in Tarrant by afternoon on Election Day
As of 1:30 p.m., Tarrant County reported more than 57,000 people had voted on Election Day, following record early voting turnout.
Those 57,741 votes made up about 7.9% of the total votes counted at that point, according to data from the county. There had been 724,488 ballots cast.
Check-ins at Tarrant County voting sites have steadily decreased since opening at 7 a.m., according to the county. There were a little less than 12,000 check-ins between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., compared to around 3,000 between 9 and 10 and then a little more than 1,500 between noon and 1 p.m.
As of 9:30 a.m., 66 voters had cast ballots at the Southside Community Center, 959 East Rosedale St. in Fort Worth.
“Things have been slow and steady here,” said Election Judge Sandy Joyce. “We’re expecting larger crowds late this afternoon.”
After a few technical issues when they first opened at 7 a.m., the six voting machines were up and running, Joyce said. The wait time was about 10 minutes.
Fort Worth police haven’t responded to any incidents at polls, according to Officer Buddy Calzada, a police spokesman. But he said, “We are changing some hours for certain units to ensure we have additional officers on duty throughout the afternoon and evening.”
“We will not be assigning officers to any specific locations but will be prepared to respond wherever necessary if called to do so,” he said.
Technical issues, late starts in south side
Three polling places in South Fort Worth were reporting technical problems and late starts. Grace Temple Seventh-Day Adventist church, 4200 E. Berry St., had one of two voting machines down as of 8:30 a.m. but wait times were still less than 10 minutes with no lines.
Across the street, at the Tarrant County Collector’s office about 30 people stood in line, some had waited more than an hour because when the doors opened at 7 a.m. one of the scanners was offline.
“I expected there to be a wait and I was ready,” said Delena Benson, 43, of Fort Worth. “I just wanted to vote on election day, there’s something special about voting the day of.”
At Community Christian Church, 1720 East Vickery Blvd., one of the computers used to check registrations was not working when they opened their doors at 7:15 a.m., according to Election Judge Benjamin Willis. At 8:45 a.m. there was no line and no wait and the technical issues had been resolved.
Problem with cables leads to delay in Keller
At Keller City Hall, which had the highest early voting turnout in all of Tarrant County, a problem with cables led to the doors not opening until around 7:25 on Tuesday morning. An official announced to the roughly 100 people in line that only four machines were working at the time.
Anne Armstrong and Gary Cavey, of Keller, were among the first people to vote. They said there were at least 25 machines not working, and that officials stated it was because the cables required to start the machines were locked in a closet. After early voting ended, he said, someone had apparently misplaced them.
Officials were fixing the problem by the time they were leaving the polls, and the line that had wound around the building earlier was down to a couple dozen people.
“It was a mess,” Armstrong said, before noting, “Once we got in and voted, it was easy.”
Cavey added, “We have patience.”
“We want to participate in this election,” Cavey added. “It is what it is.”
Jim Wilkinson, 50, was waiting in line to vote with his wife and two kids, ages 8 and 6. As he was walking in to vote, he heard about the four voting machines.
“Didn’t they know it was today?” he said.
Short wait as polls open in Stop Six
Lines of voters began forming early Tuesday morning before some polling sites even opened at 7 a.m.
Pablo Valli, 69, a landscaper from Fort Worth said he wanted to be the first in line this election day so he could make it to work on time. “I had to ask for permission and they weren’t happy but It’s important to vote, it’s our duty.”
About a dozen people stood behind Valli when the doors opened at 7 a.m. at the Tarrant County Tax Collectors Office, 312 Miller Ave., near the Stop Six neighborhood.
More than 730,000, or 61% of Tarrant County’s registered voters cast their ballots during early voting, surpassing the total voter turnout during the 2016 presidential election.
Gov. Greg Abbott expanded early voting by six days to alleviate crowding at polling places amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Tarrant County voters can cast their ballot at any of the 331 voting centers. Registered voters can find their closest polling location and a sample ballot on the Tarrant County Voter Lookup website.
The Texas secretary of state has published a checklist outlining the minimum recommended health protocols for voters. They include social distancing, self-screening for symptoms and wearing a mask.
Voters recently exposed to the virus who missed the mail-in-ballot deadline and are not able to safely cast an in-person ballot may apply for an emergency voting ballot before 5 p.m.
The application must be accompanied with a certificate from a licensed physician, chiropractor, or practitioner, confirming the voter cannot safely vote in person. The non-profit Move Texas has been helping connect sick voters with volunteer physicians and offering free assistance filling out the application.
Curbside voting is also available for any voter who has difficulty walking or standing for long periods. More information for voters with special needs can be found on the Tarrant County website.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:32 AM.
