Judge rejects effort to block reduction in Tarrant County polling sites

FORT WORTH, Texas - More than 100 previous polling sites in Tarrant County will remain closed after a judge blocked an effort to keep them open for the upcoming midterm elections.

Tarrant County polling site fight

What we know:

Tarrant County Judge Pat Gallagher denied a temporary injunction request that would have kept 92 polling locations in the county open.

The polling sites were shuttered in September, when the Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to close the sites, leaving the county with 224 polling sites for the 2026 midterm elections.

Proponents of the move, including Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, say the county would save $1 million in taxpayer money. Low turnout at certain sites during the 2024 elections was also cited as a reason for the potential closure.

Critics of the proposed move say it amounts to voter suppression, with many of the locations that would be shuttered being located in areas where residents are mainly people of color.

The TCCC's vote came over a month after a planned vote was delayed following heated debate and meeting stoppages during an August meeting.

Many speakers during the September meeting called the cuts unfair to minority groups. Commissioner Roderick Miles gave an impassioned speech ahead of the vote.

"The government is by the people and for the people. That's everybody," Miles said. "The people who have cars, the people who have money for bus fares, and the people who don't. They all need to have the ability to vote."

What's next:

Elections on a statewide and national level are set to be held on Nov. 3. Early voting will begin on October 19.

Tarrant CountyTexas Politics2026 Elections