Long lines continue for early voting in North Texas. Turnout has been so large that Dallas County extended voting hours by two hours beginning Wednesday night through Friday. NBC 5’s Maria Guerrero reports from the Fretz Park Branch Library which is one of the county’s busiest locations.
Early Voting -- What to Know
- Election Day Voter Guide: Find key dates, how to check your voter status, how to find out where and when you can vote early and on Election Day, and what you'll need to bring with you to the polls.
- When is Election Day? Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day. On that day, polls will be open in Texas from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. You'll be allowed to vote if you're in line by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
- Where can I vote early? Early voting runs from Monday, Oct. 21, through Friday, Nov. 1. Click here for early voting hours and locations for Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties.
- How many people have voted early? A record number of people voted early on Monday, the first day of early voting. Click here to see daily early voting totals from Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties and to compare them to previous years.
- Who is on the ballot? Click the links to filter races by category or county: Federal races | State races | Collin County | Dallas County | Denton County | Tarrant County
- How can I vote by mail? The deadline is coming up. Everything you need to know is here.
A steady stream of voters filed into Fretz Park Branch Library in North Dallas on Wednesday afternoon, on the first day of extended early voting hours in Dallas County.
Fretz Park along Belt Line Road and Oak Lawn Library along Cedar Springs Road are the two busiest polling centers in Dallas County, according to Judge Clay Jenkins.
As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 19,000 people have voted early at Fretz Park Library, including Nelva Lopez.
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“It was a marvelous experience,” she said in Spanish.
Lopez took the day off of work and was all smiles as she voted for the first time since becoming a U.S. citizen earlier this year.
She opted for a ballot in Spanish and says the process went smoothly.
Vashtai Wright also took advantage of the short line to cast her ballot.
“I’m a business owner and part of our mission is to be inclusive to all communities and I’m also the parent of mixed-race children so for me the world that they live in, I want it to be better,” said Wright.
Lunchtime proved to be the right time to get in line at Fretz Park Branch Library in North Dallas.
Last week, county leaders decided to extend voting hours from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. the final three days of early voting.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 486,000 people have voted in the county.
“I think that’s good because actually my mother was complaining she works a little bit late so she wasn’t able to early vote because the times are not long enough for her,” said voter Alexander Hancock.
Dallas County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia says poll workers have been ‘amazing’ and willing to stay the extra hours to ensure everyone who wants to vote early gets to.
“Don’t wait until Election Day,” he said enthusiastically. “On Election Day you might have a storm, a flat tire, you might get sick and there’s no tomorrow. There’s three days, ample opportunities. We’re going long in the evening so get it done.”
Garcia says the software problem that led to long lines on the first day of early voting was fixed and has not happened again.
He says the county is working with law enforcement to ensure everyone’s safety, especially during the evening hours.
He urges voters to keep in mind: “Because the hours have been extended, if you are in line at 8:59 you will vote. Even if it’s an hour long and we have to vote at 10 p.m., 10:30 right. So, be in line the next three days.”
If anyone experiences any problems, they are urged to contact the Dallas County Elections Department, here.
The county is once again offering voters an online dashboard showing estimated wait times at polling centers. countywide.
Click here for the realtime map.
