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Early voting brings long lines in Tarrant County
The start of early voting in Texas brought long lines of voters across the metroplex, including in Tarrant County, where county leaders recently reduced the number of polling locations. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Some polling locations in North Texas saw heavy turnout for the first day of early voting, especially in Tarrant County where there will be fewer locations open on election day because of consolidation.
Early voting begins in Texas
What we know:
SKY 4 captured video of lines outside several polling locations in Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties at different points in the day on Monday.
People were waiting 30 to 45 minutes or longer at the majority of the sites with lines.
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Early voting in Collin County | Dallas News Live
Steven Dial speaks with the Collin County elections administrator about early voting.
What we don't know:
While higher interest in this midterm election is likely fueling most of the early voter turnout, there were also some reports of minor issues in Collin County on Monday morning because of the county’s use of paper ballots.
Some Tarrant County could also be voting early because the county will have 92 fewer polling locations open on election day.
What they're saying:
FOX 4 talked to several people who regularly vote in Tarrant County. One man said the lines were a bit longer than what he anticipated, but another woman said they didn’t seem unusual for the first day of early voting.
"I figured if I get it out of the way now, I won’t have to worry about it later," said Tarrant County resident Oliver Johnson. "I thought I would get here before everybody else, but unfortunately, it’s been a wait."
Fellow resident Ericka Rhodes was expecting to be in and out. That wasn’t the case.
"So yeah, a little long," she said. "It’s okay. It’s worth it."
"When it’s an election like this, that’s so important, we wanted to make sure that we were here on the first day," added Sandra Howell, another Tarrant County resident.
What's next:
Early voting runs through Oct. 30.
Election day is Nov. 3.
Early voting hours and locations
- Dallas County early voting locations and hours
- Tarrant County early voting locations and hours
- Collin County early voting locations and hours
- Denton County early voting locations and hours
Voter Guides
- 2026 Midterm Election: Key races in North Texas and sample ballots
- Early voting begins on Oct. 19 in Texas. Here's what to know
- Who leads 2026 Texas Senate race? Paxton vs. Talarico poll tracker
Tarrant County closes polling sites
The backstory:
In September, a majority of Tarrant County’s Commissioners voted to close 92 voting sites, leaving just 224 open for the midterm election.
Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare argued there was low voter turnout two years ago at the now-closed sites. He said the closures would save $1 million in taxpayer money. But some Democrats called the move voter suppression.
A Tarrant County judge recently blocked a lawsuit request to reopen the sites for this election.
Judge rejects effort to block reduction in Tarrant County polling sites
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.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the SKY 4 helicopter, an interview with Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux, Tarrant County voters, and past FOX 4 News coverage.