Tarrant County judge denies temporary injunction to restore polling sites

A Tarrant County judge denied a request for a temporary injunction to reopen some polling sites after the county announced plans to eliminate dozens of Election Day voting sites for the upcoming midterm elections.

The ruling came after a hearing Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a group of voters against Tarrant County and four county officials.

The four plaintiffs, all women of color who live in Tarrant County, allege that the plan to close voting sites was specifically meant to make it harder for racial minorities to vote on Election Day. Many of the eliminated voting sites are in neighborhoods with high Black or Hispanic populations, and were used by tens of thousands of voters for the 2022 midterms. The lawsuit claims the closures violate the Texas Constitution and the Tarrant County election code.

The Tarrant County Commission voted along ideological lines to approve plan on Sept. 1. Clint Ludwig, the administrator who oversees the county's elections, told commissioners he analyzed voter turnout from the 2022 midterms to come up with the number of polling sites needed. Ludwig said the sites that were eliminated were too close to other locations or were no longer available, and that the closures will save the county money.

County Judge Tim O'Hare said the change exceeds the statutory minimum for voting centers, and said that some locations were changed due to buildings no longer being operable and ADA requirements.

"Every voter deserves a safe, accessible location with secure equipment, and this plan does that," O'Hare said at the time.

Ludwig, O'Hare and the two other commissioners who voted to approve the plan were named as defendants.

This temporary injunction means that no polling locations will be restored before election day.

But attorneys for the plaintiffs said the lawsuit still stands, meaning both sides will enter the discovery phase, then a full trial. But that won't happen for some time.