Dallas County officials warn of potentially noncompliant precinct maps, scramble to secure polling sites before early voting

County commissioners and elections officials on Feb. 9 warned that last-minute polling-site ‘declinations’ and divergent precinct maps submitted by the parties could put parts of the county out of compliance with state election rules ahead of the primary.

A presenter who reviewed side-by-side Republican and Democratic maps told commissioners the Republican map appears to violate multiple state rules for precinct consolidation and for crossing major ("big six") district lines, listing roughly 72 precincts that cross those boundaries and noting one precinct that barely exceeds a 10,000-voter threshold. The presenter said the violations make the Republican map "illegally drawn," adding the count depends on how precincts are tallied.

Elections staff said they had identified 12 declinations — locations that declined to serve as polling places — and had forwarded those to the political parties. "So far we have sent the decline locations to each party to let them know," a county staffer (Tacoma) told the court, and staff said they were calling private sites to secure replacements and, where possible, combining locations to maintain coverage.

Commissioners discussed remedies and who can provide formal notice of a legal violation. Staff emphasized that the parties, by contract, choose contracted polling locations, and the county’s role is to prepare contracts and logistics. Commissioners asked whether the county or individuals should notify the Texas Secretary of State; staff said anyone with standing — including a voter or a candidate affected by a precinct — can file a complaint, and that there is no statutory requirement that notice be filed before an election.

Elections administrators warned the situation complicates operations: "Deliveries for early votes start tomorrow," staff said, and the office has ordered 1.44 million ballots and is arranging extra voting units and secure transport to distribute equipment across many sites. Staff said they would follow up with commissioners about any assistance needed for logistics and equipment deployment.

Next steps: elections staff will continue outreach to replace declined locations, report back at a special call Thursday and notify the court if the county requires logistical support to deploy equipment or personnel.