Nearly 9 million Texans headed to the polls in November to weigh in on the fierce battle for the White House — and many stumbled upon roadblocks while trying to cast their votes. Texas voters faced long lines, equipment glitches, intimidation — and confusion over the state’s Voter ID law and whether photo IDs were still required — according to a new report, Texas Election Protection 2016. “Unfortunately, through the state, voters faced numerous obstacles that complicated the process,” said Beth Stevens, voting rights director at the Texas Civil Rights Project that compiled the report. “We heard directly from thousands of voters about the barriers they faced in our electoral system. “Texans deserved better.”
More than 4,000 complaints or incidents were logged statewide last year by the group’s Election Protection Coalition and put into a database. Complaints came in various forms, from voter hotlines to questions asked of field volunteers. The second largest number of complaints, 495, came from Tarrant County.
Harris County had the most, at 895, and Dallas County had the third most reported problems, at 373, the report showed.
“Presidential elections bring people out who normally wouldn’t vote,” said Stephen Vickers, Tarrant County’s new elections administrator. “They may only vote every four years.”
Full Article: Texans had problems voting in presidential election | Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
