I’m trying to figure out why so many people had such a hard time in trying to vote on election day for the Texas primary in 2026. This time, some things were different. For one, this was my first primary election, a decision I made because of how charged up the political atmosphere has become. My experience with this state is that it doesn’t make researching candidates easy. When I went to vote on changes to the state constitution in November, I took the time to learn what those changes were. Not unlike my voting location this time, it was also an elementary school auditorium — but I was already armed with how I was going to vote. While people were still deciding at the voting machines, I was in and out in record time.
Thanks to Republican‑driven reductions in polling locations — a trend documented by the Texas Tribune and analyzed by the Brennan Center for Justice — this time around, I had to travel nearly four miles to my assigned site, which happened to be down the street from where I actually live. Because I’m caregiving for someone who needs constant supervision, I was at her place, and her November polling location had been conveniently close. Now, I was dealing with the consequences of fewer locations and longer travel times.
I got to my precinct around 6:30, thinking everything would be fine — and for the most part, it was. But as the minutes passed, the line slowed to a crawl. throughout the evening, as we were being checked in, we had all handed blank ballots and told to sit in the pews to wait our turn. By this time, potential voters were getting antsy. Reporting confirms that long lines, delays, and confusion were widespread across Dallas County Tuesday night.
Suddenly, everyone started getting up and forming a line toward the front — someone must have given the order. What I would learn later is that a Dallas County judge had reportedly extended voting hours to 9 p.m. Almost immediately, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to block the extension. The Court issued a temporary stay requiring that ballots cast after 7 p.m. be separated pending further review, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.
Had I stayed and voted during the extended period, my ballot might have ended up in legal limbo — not necessarily rejected, but not guaranteed to count either. It’s also hard not to see this as a “dry run” for November, as the panel in the video stated, where confusion, legal maneuvering, and voter‑suppression tactics could collide on a much larger scale.
We Live in Dark Times
On the way to my polling location.
It's said that this essentially targets Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas-based candidate I wanted to vote for. Talarico plays too nice for the mudslinging politics of today, which is mixed with razors, shards of glass or even hydrochloric acid. Crockett fights hard because she knows there's a war happening right now. In fact, she mentioned this during her debate with Talarico.
“I didn’t come here to play patty-cake. I came here to go to war — because that’s what they’ve declared on us.” — Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic Senate Debate, Jan. 24, 2026
Sometimes, I am overwhelmed with dread when thinking about how caustic our politics have become.
They've become more aggressive — not by choice, but by force. The tone of our national discourse has been hijacked by instigators who thrive on chaos, cruelty, and confrontation.
No one asked for this, but as with any unjust assault — not unlike Putin’s attack on Ukraine — silence is not an option. We must respond. And not with polite disagreement or cautious compromise, but with equal or overwhelming force.
For too long, liberal representation has walked the line, even as they’re pummeled by bad-faith actors and extremist rhetoric. I cringe when I see Democrats make an attempt at diplomacy against those who’ve abandoned it.
This is the case with Talarico, acting as if everything is business as usual when it's far from it. During her debate with him, she struggled to stay within her time, often becoming too passionate about how she would fight back. It's clearly too late now but we need a street fighter like Crockett to have our backs.
There are other fears about the big November election coming up. It's been suggested that ICE was out in the streets of Minneapolis as another test, where they could be used to intimidate voters at locations nationwide, to also stopping elections overall.
But, if that doesn't happen at all, we have Republicans Cornyn and Paxton in a run-off election to take place in May, it's thought that Paxton winning that would cause him to lose to Talarico.
Over time, I'll be looking at some of the other candidates to learn more about them. As of this writing,
Right now, Democrats Chelsey Hockett, and Ruth "The Truth" Torres are at a runoff with Forrest Lumpkin coming in third. My vote is for Hockett for District 5 because she's made no secret that she wants to abolish ICE. Good cause; we need more of that.