SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County district judge ruled Tuesday that Bexar County must add 18 polling sites on Election Day.
The ruling comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the Texas Civil Rights Project demanding the additional polling sites. The lawsuit contends that the extra sites would be the same amount of polling locations as in the 2018 election, when there were 302. The Bexar County Elections Office had planned to have 284 voting sites on Nov. 3.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said he has discussed the situation with Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen.
“I suggested to her that she try to find some extra spots, and it would require moving people around, which would probably affect our mega centers. So she’s doing that,” Wolff said.
The judge also ruled that the Elections Office must post the polling locations on its website 21 days in advance of the election, as legally required, instead of two days.
“Today, the court agreed that voters of color and Spanish-speaking voters matter,” said Texas Civil Rights Project staff attorney Joaquin Gonzalez. “For more than a year, San Antonians had voiced their concerns about poll closures, and the County committed to keeping the same number of locations. It was unacceptable that the County turned its back on that promise. We look forward now to working with election officials to ensure that all voters in Bexar County can vote safely and easily.”
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