UFKIN — Nearly two decades ago, Roxzine Stinson helped usher a new voting model into Lubbock County. Now, she and other election administrators across Texas are bracing for its possible demise.
Last month, the state Senate passed a bill that would eliminate vote centers — polling locations scattered throughout the county that any registered voter can vote at — on Election Day and require residents to vote at an assigned precinct, typically in their neighborhood. Senate Bill 990, authored by Republican Sen. Bob Hall of Edgewood passed along party lines in the Senate and has been referred to the House Elections Committee.
“I really hate taking a step back after we’ve moved forward the way we have,” Stinson said.
It is not clear if the bill will gain sufficient support to pass through the lower chamber. A hearing has not been scheduled, and just over two weeks remain in the regular legislative session. The bill’s movement has nonetheless left voting rights advocates and local government officials concerned. They say vote centers are widely popular, and prohibiting them would saddle election offices with logistical and financial burdens.
“It is stunning to me that this bill has moved forward,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas. “Countywide voting is the solution to so many problems.”