Plans in one of Texas’ largest counties to use dozens fewer polling location than previous years is drawing protests from Democrats who say the reductions could create confusion in the November midterm elections
Page A11From§Eachthe milkman edition — 31 August 2026
Texas cuts polling sites, agenda runs through one court
Texas cuts the number of polling sites in a major county, and the federal policy agenda runs through a single court in the state. The receipts say it plain: fewer places to cast a ballot, more decisions from a bench picked for its lean. The process is streamlined, but the outcome is set. The court decides, the county shrinks its options, and the voter’s road gets longer. The power is concentrated, and the fold shows who gets to call the shots. The ask is always efficiency, but the effect is always exclusion. The table is run from one seat, and the rest are empty.
“They shrink the polling sites and funnel the policy through one court in Texas. That's how you run the table: fewer places to vote, one judge picking the winners. The vote gets smaller, the rules get tighter, and the power stays right where they want it.”
“Well, there are legitimate reasons for consolidating polling sites, like efficiency and cost savings. And the federal court in Texas is simply upholding the law as written. It's not about restricting voting—did I say that? I mean, it's about making sure the process is manageable. If some people can't vote, that's unfortunate, but it’s not intentional. Wait, I meant to say it’s all legal.”
The receipts
For years, conservative litigants flocked to Judge Reed O’Connor’s district. Now, North Texas has become a favorite destination of the Justice Department.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.