Tarrant County faces election worker shortage ahead of Tuesday's primary
Friday is the final day of early voting in Texas, but election officials warn that Tarrant County may face challenges on Tuesday because of a shortage of election workers, according to the Tarrant County Democratic Party.
Reyne Telles, executive director of the party, said they are seeing a shortage of election clerks and judges. Primary elections are run by each political party in partnership with the county, but the parties are responsible for recruiting and training workers ahead of election day. Telles said that if the remaining positions are not filled by Tuesday, some polling locations may have to close—though he described that as a worst‑case scenario.
Dozens of workers still needed
Telles said earlier this week the party was short hundreds of workers, but by late Thursday, that number had dropped to about 50 people across seven polling locations in Tarrant County. He attributed the shortage to voter fatigue, long hours, and low pay.
"A polling location that is closed because it's not staffed is a real possibility," Telles said. "And so, we are working hard to not make that happen, and however, if that happens to a voter, I suggest that they have all of the polling locations pulled up so that they are able to still go to a different polling location and cast their ballot, as casting a ballot in the primary is our utmost importance."
The Tarrant County Democratic Party said county Republicans were experiencing similar staffing problems. CBS News Texas contacted the Tarrant County GOP to confirm, but has not heard back.
Dallas County reports fewer concerns
In Dallas County, Elections Administrator Paul Adams said they are not seeing a significant shortage on either side, though they are always looking for more election workers.
