In the heart of its downtown, the message wrapping the concrete island of a traffic circle tells drivers, “It’s a great day to live in Rowlett.”
Mayor Blake Margolis said he wanted to ensure the sentiment extended to the city’s polling location when early voting begins on Oct. 21.
“What got me interested in this is being shocked at the location the county would choose,” Margolis said.
The Rowlett mayor said the city’s one early vote location, Freedom Place Church at 4111 Main Street, is too small and lacks sufficient parking, especially for older and voters with physical limitations.
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Margolis said an easy fix is located about one-half mile to the east.
“There is only one facility that makes sense to host this kind of turnout and that is the Rowlett Community Centre,” Margolis said.
On Tuesday, Dallas County Commissioners learned Rowlett’s early vote location may not have a valid certificate of occupancy.
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Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said he’s asked two attorneys in the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to determine if an election can be held at a location lacking a certificate of occupancy.
“We normally don’t move polling locations this close to an election,” Jenkins said. “When you have uncertainty around an election, this close to an election you want to get that resolved as quickly as possible.”
Jenkins said Freedom Place Church meets federal and state requirements to be a polling place, including having approximately 30 additional parking spaces within walking distance.
However, if it’s determined the location can’t host early voting because of the occupancy issue, Jenkins said he’s asked the Dallas County Elections Department to determine the cost of adding an additional location or moving Rowlett’s early voting location.
“The last thing we want to do is stick with what we have and find out that it won’t work, say, five days before the election,” Jenkins said.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who represents District 3, which includes Rowlett, said Tuesday that questions around the certificate of occupancy have no bearing on state law or U.S. Department of Justice requirements for voting sites.
"The site has been fully vetted by, and meets all legal requirements for a voting site," Price said.
Margolis said his city cast 22,000 ballots during early voting four years ago during the last presidential election. In 2020, the early vote location was also the Rowlett Community Centre. Margolis believes turnout this year could be even higher.
Just 20 days out from the start of early voting, Margolis hopes Dallas County will move the city's early voting to a larger location.
“It is my hope that common sense prevails here,” Margolis said.
Dallas County utilizes vote centers, which allows voting at any of 70 early voting locations throughout the county.
The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election is Monday, Oct. 7. Voter registration status can be checked online but to register to vote the application must be printed out, signed and mailed by the deadline. Details are here.
