The first day of early voting in Tarrant County saw more than 58,000 ballots cast. Fort Worth resident Lety Salinas was not one of them –– despite her efforts.
Standing in line outside the Como Community Center on Monday, Salinas said she was one of many locals locked out of the center’s polling station before they could cast their ballots, without notice from election workers. She said she arrived at least 15 minutes before polls were set to close at 5 p.m. and heard others in line angrily saying they had waited for over an hour.
Section 85.005(d) of the Texas Election Code permits voters –– whether voting early or on Election Day –– to cast their ballots after hours at a polling place if they were already in line before closing time.
“I would have felt much better about hearing from an official instead of just being locked out,” Salinas said via text.
Tarrant County Elections Administration officials could not be reached for comment.
After dropping off her niece and nephew at a nearby park to play, Salinas got in line between 4:40 and 4:45 p.m. Early voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and though she said the line was already wrapped around the side of the building when she arrived, she thought it would move quickly.
“People who had already voted were coming out saying that [the polls] were closing and they weren’t going to let anyone else in,” Salinas said. “At 5:02, I called my girlfriend, who was waiting in the car, and told her I might not get to vote –– but I wanted to hear it from an official first.”
As she and the rest of the line continued waiting, she said sometime between 5:02 and 5:09, someone inside the community center locked the doors.
“I’ve been in these long lines before where a poll worker has come out at the deadline and turned any new people away,” Salinas said. “Again, that didn’t happen.”
At one point, she recalled, a man exited the center holding his ballot, telling everyone, “They’re confused in there” and urging locals to stay in line. Salinas said people in line then told him he needed to submit the ballot for his vote to be counted and that he then went back to the closed door and was allowed back inside.
“Some of the people in line tried to keep the door open, but someone inside closed the locked door,” Salinas said. “I waited another 10 or so minutes before leaving.”
The alleged incident comes at a time when politicians and citizens alike have promoted conspiracy theories and misinformation around election security, such as debunked claims about voter fraud. On October 22, Tarrant County Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig issued a video statement on the administration’s X account assuring voters that voting machines are working properly after one voter claimed on social media that their selected presidential choice was switched on their ballot. In the statement, Ludwig said the individual likely made a mistake before printing the ballot.
“When they went to cast their ballot, they checked it and realized that was not the vote that they wanted,” Ludwig said in the statement. “This is not uncommon, and there’s a practice in place called ‘spoiling the ballot’ to handle this.”
Spoiling the ballot is when election officials do not count a ballot due to ballot errors, such as tearing or improper markings, according to the online political encyclopedia Ballotpedia.
Salinas said she wants people to be careful when making claims of voter suppression and that she does not have proof of that at the Como Community Center.
“With this election being so important and controversial, we really need to do a better job of eliminating any suspicion of voter suppression,” she said.
Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in an October 21 statement that Texas elections are secure and state and county officials are prepared to handle voting.
“Many security protocols are new, and others have been around for decades, but Texans deserve to know the ways we are working to secure their votes,” she said.
Christoph Blanke, another disgruntled voter in line at the community center that day, posted on social media about being turned away, saying he got in line at 4:15. He tagged Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and the Tarrant County Elections Administration in his post. O’Hare responded in the comments with his phone number and requesting Blanke to call his office.
O’Hare’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Janet Mattern, president of the local League of Women Voters, said Tarrant County has always passed elections audits and that voting is safe and fair.
Though she has no first-hand knowledge of the Como incident, she advises showing up to the polls early, if possible, and with a voting plan.
If issues do arise, she said voters can report the issue. “I think it’s always important to know your rights, and if anyone does feel like their rights are infringed upon, I would definitely talk to the election judge at the polling location.”
She also recommended Election Protection coalition hotline –– 1-866-687-8683 for English speakers and 1-888-839-8682 for Spanish. Other language options are listed on the Texas Voter Protection coalition’s website.
Despite the inconvenience, Salinas said she is understanding toward election workers, who she said may have struggled with understaffing and exhaustion from the high turnout. Still, she said, the experience was irritating.
“I wish someone who worked there would have at least come out to explain and apologize,” she said.
A list detailing voters’ rights at the polls is available on VoteTexas.gov.
Early voting in Tarrant County runs until November 1, and polling sites and hours are on the county website. Election Day is November 5, when polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
