Election workers urge Denton County to ease redirected voters; defense of precinct voting follows

Rosemary Calderon, a 20-year election worker who addressed the Denton County Commissioners Court during public comment on June 16, said voters are routinely redirected on election day and that the practice may be costing ballots. "Last Saturday...we redirected 50 voters out of the 500 plus voters which came to our location. That's 10% of voters," she said, describing frustrated voters who told poll workers, "But I always vote here." She asked commissioners to "think only of the voter" and to consider allowing voting centers on election day so redirected voters can more easily cast ballots.

At the same meeting, Melinda Preston argued for preserving precinct voting, saying it "gives everybody a fair share" and ensures a neighborhood polling place for people with limited transportation. "We can work on that" in reference to outreach, she said, adding that precinct voting is the "best of both worlds" when paired with early voting.

Why it matters: The two public commenters framed a recurring local debate about how best to balance voter convenience, neighborhood access and administrative logistics on election day. Calderon said technology already allows vote-anywhere early voting and asked the court to extend that convenience to election day; Preston warned that switching systems could reduce neighborhood access for voters who depend on a local precinct.

What the speakers said: Calderon gave examples of redirected voters who said they "just live three minutes away" but were told to go to a different location and worried they would not reach the alternate site before the polls closed. Preston countered that many voters benefit from nearby precincts and that the county should improve outreach so new residents know where to vote.

Court response and next steps: Commissioners did not debate the substance of the public comments during the public-comment period. The comments were recorded during the meeting and court staff indicated they will follow up individually when appropriate. The court did not take a policy vote on election administration at this meeting.

Context: Denton County remains among counties that use precinct-based voting on election day; the speakers referenced other counties that have moved to vote-anywhere centers for election day. Any procedural change to election-day precinct rules would require formal action by the commissioners or other responsible election authorities.