DALLAS — A voting-hours extension for Democrats in Dallas County was temporarily blocked Tuesday night by the Supreme Court of Texas, just before the additional time was set to expire.
Earlier in the evening, a Dallas County judge ordered Democratic polling locations to remain open until 9 p.m., after reports that some voters were turned away due to confusion over precinct-specific voting sites in the state’s non-joint primary elections.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said ballots cast by Democrats between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. would be treated as provisional. He noted Republicans did not request a similar extension.
The emergency order, signed by Judge Staci Williams, followed concerns raised by voters and Democratic leaders who said some polling locations listed online were inaccurate.
However, the Texas Supreme Court issued a temporary stay, directing that voting proceed only “as permitted” and that ballots from voters not in line by 7 p.m. be separated.
U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett criticized the confusion, saying voters had been disenfranchised.
The issues were reported in counties conducting party-specific primaries, including Dallas and Williamson counties.
