After confusion and long lines at some polling locations during Tuesday’s primary election, Dallas County election officials are now working to determine how voters will cast their ballots in the upcoming runoff election in May. The Dallas County Elections Department says it is exploring option s to bring back countywide vote centers for the May 26 primary runoff election. At the same time, a member of Congress from North Texas has introduced legislation in Washington aimed at preventing the issues some voters faced at the polls this week. Many voters waited in line for hours on Tuesday, while others were turned away after arriving at the wrong polling location under the precinct-based system used for the primary election. As officials wrap up work related to the primary, they are also preparing for the runoff election. “I think we can all kind of recognize that the Dallas County voters are used to and have become accustomed to the flexibility and convenience that countywide voting allows,” said Nic Solorzano with the Dallas County Elections Department. “So, we’re seeing if there’s any kind of play we can do here as we go towards May 26.” Countywide vote centers allow voters to cast ballots at any polling location in the county. Under the precinct-based system, voters must go to their assigned polling location on Election Day. “The Dallas Democratic Party were interested in doing a joint primary like we’ve done since 2019. This time, the Republicans didn’t have any interest in it,” Solorzano said. Dallas County election officials said they are reviewing the Texas Election Code with legal counsel to determine whether countywide vote centers could be used for the runoff. “Paul Adams, our election administrator, is talking with our counsel on seeing what can be allowed or is not allowed in the Texas election code,” Solorzano said. Early voting will still allow voters to cast ballots at any location across the county. Election officials are encouraging voters to take advantage of that option. “Please go vote early. It’s always going to be vote centers. You can vote countywide during early voting,” Solorzano said. Meanwhile, in Washington, U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson has introduced the Voter Outreach for Transparent Elections Act, also known as the VOTE Act, following the issues reported during the primary election. According to Johnson, the bill establishes clear, minimum notification requirements to ensure voters are promptly informed of any polling place changes. “The VOTE Act is about transparency and fairness. It ensures that no voter is denied their voice simply because politicians decided to move the goalposts. Our democracy works best when every eligible voter has a clear and accessible path to cast a ballot—and I will always fight to protect that fundamental right,” Johnson said. To learn more about the bill, visit Johnson’s website. Johnson is headed to a runoff against former Congressman Colin Allred in the race for Congressional District 33. The district was directly affected by the shift to precinct-based voting. The legislation focuses on federal elections and would require the state to notify voters of their new polling place at least seven days before the election. For the Texas Primary Election, the Dallas County Elections Department said they ran an educational campaign for weeks to notify voters of the change. “We sent a mailer to the residential households. We sent a text message to over 700,000 Dallas County residents,” Solorzano said. “We’ve been running ads for the last three to four weeks, digital across streaming.” While the democrats have stated they are interested in conducting a joint primary runoff, as of Friday afternoon, Dallas GOP Chair Allen West had not replied to NBC 5’s request for comment. An announcement from Dallas County Elections about potential changes could come as early as next week. ...read more read less