Early voting started yesterday in Texas, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Voters in some counties were met with long lines, malfunctioning equipment, and even poll workers confused about state law.
Electionland partner Texas Tribune reported that voters in coastal Nueces County — which includes Corpus Christi — saw wait times of upwards of an hour. One voter reported a three-hour wait at a precinct with only a single polling station. Long wait times were also reported in Harris County, home of Houston. County clerks told the Tribune that there was unexpectedly high turnout.
But different problems awaited voters in North Texas’ Denton County, where electronic voting machines arrived at polling stations programmed to Election Day settings. Voters had to wait as workers reprogrammed the machines. And in Bexar County, a voter took to Twitter to complain that her polling station was using a flier with outdated information on Texas’ voter ID law. The information in the flier was based on a law struck down by a federal court over the summer.
The Texas Secretary of State (who is on Twitter and uses it) later tweeted to say the sign had been removed.
poll workers still using old sign the federal judge ruled against, officials telling everyone they need a photo ID @TexasTribune @TexasYDs pic.twitter.com/llS9Q4IWST
— Molly E Neck (@MollyENeck) October 24, 2016
@MollyENeck @JessicaHuseman @TexasTribune Posters were updated following judges order. This one is being removed.
— Secretary of State (@TXsecofstate) October 24, 2016
