Plan to cut polling sites in Tarrant County draws protests as Senate race looms

The useful part

The proposal, set for a vote Tuesday, would reduce the number of polling locations across booming Tarrant County, which borders Dallas and includes Fort Worth. County officials say the plan would save resources by eliminating low-turnout sites, noting voters would still have more than 200 locations where they could cast ballots. Texas' third-largest county is home to more than 2 million people and is a key battleground in the U.S.

How it works

• The trend has been accelerated by an embrace of countywide voting sites and the difficulty in recruiting poll workers.
• "The most powerful people in this county, the most powerful people in this country, don't want us to be able to vote easily," Talarico said at a news conference.
• If the plan is approved, Tarrant County would have 92 fewer polling locations on Election Day than it did during the 2022 midterms.
• Closing polling locations in Texas is not a new trend, county election officials say.
• Other Texas counties have also considered or already reduced the number of polling locations for November, while some have added more.

What to take from it

Matt Shaheen, the Republican chairman of the House Elections Committee, said of polling site reductions in Texas.

Details worth keeping

James Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. On Sunday, Talarico urged the county to reject the proposal. "We're clearly not trying to suppress the vote," Rep.