Tens of thousands of North Texas voters cast ballots on a mostly uneventful Election Day with relatively short lines, after a record-breaking three weeks of early voting.
In an election season marked by anxiety and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, voters were driven to the polls for different reason. One said a summer of racial injustice pushed him to cast a ballot; another said he wanted to keep Texas red.
One woman who feared voting in person because of COVID-19 did it anyway, saying the election was worth risking a life.
‘A motivating factor’
Among the 50 or so people in line when the polls opened at American Airlines Center was first-time voter John T. Hillman. Wearing a face mask with stars and stripes, Hillman flipped through a newspaper for a last look at candidates in local races.
Hillman said one of the top reasons he voted was the color of his skin. Hillman, who is Black, said he wanted to vote, knowing there was a time when Black Americans couldn’t do so.
“That was a motivating factor,” he said.
Angela Mata, 20, cast her vote at Palabra de Vida Church in west Oak Cliff early Tuesday so she could get to class on time at the University of Texas at Arlington. It was her first time voting in a presidential election.
She voted for immigrants, she said, “people who can’t really vote."
In less than five minutes, Mata walked out of the church with a sticker.
“It was good,” she said. “Easy.”
Dispute over masks
Election Day voting didn’t hit many snags, save for some technical issues and a dispute over mask-wearing at a University Park polling place.
An election judge, Republican Beth Biesel, and poll workers at University Park United Methodist Church refused to wear masks inside. The state’s mask mandate exempts polling places.
“I opted for that exemption because it’s legal to do so,” said Biesel, who sued the county to overturn its mask mandate in polling places. “My views about COVID and masks or about 6 feet is immaterial.”
Democrats said voters who see workers without masks may not vote. Biesel said no voters complained.
Biesel was removed as a poll worker during the primaries for not wearing a mask. But an election judge can be removed in the general election only if both party chairs agree.
Rodney Anderson, chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party, said he disagreed with Biesel’s decision not to wear a mask but would not agree to remove her.
‘People gotta get out and do their part’
Michael Messek, 32, of Mesquite said he has lived in Texas his whole life but never before felt the need to vote.
“Texas is a natural red state, but the tide is kind of turning,” said Messek, who voted at the Mesquite Convention Center. “If we want to keep Texas how it’s been, people gotta get out and do their part.”
Deidre Springs, 34, said she feared for her safety while voting in person Tuesday — she has underlying health problems that could put her at risk of complications from COVID-19 — but she wanted to make sure her voice was heard.
“I could have easily mailed it in, but this election in particular is worth risking a life for," Springs said.
She said she’s also wary that the nation’s current animosity might boil over into violence.
Paul Williams fulfilled his long tradition of always voting on Election Day when he cast his ballot in Pleasant Grove.
“We’ve struggled for so long to have this right that it’d be foolish not to vote,” said Williams, who is Black. “We have an obligation to do it.”
‘We need changes’
Desmond Parrish, 24, also said racial injustice over the summer pushed him to vote at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas.
“A lot about my politics has been changing,” he said. “The killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and many other victims among all the injustice that’s been going on — we need changes as soon as possible.”
Tessa Dagger, a 36-year-old Richardson resident, said she didn’t plan to vote until last weekend, when she heard about supporters of President Donald Trump intimidating people in Texas and across the U.S.
“I was galvanized into voting, regardless of whether or not I think it’s an exercise in futility or not,” Dagger said at the city’s civic center. “Tell me I can’t, then I frickin' will.”
‘A moral obligation’
In Plano, many of those who voted were young and excited.
Elizabeth Edling, 21, an undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma, drove home to vote. Edling had been tempted to skip the election — but that was before the pandemic.
“People are dying,” she said. “It’s more than just a civic duty at this point. It’s like a moral obligation.”
The pandemic wasn’t the deciding issue for Gabe Tanella, 22. He said his Christian beliefs came before his politics.
“I’m a Christian first,” Tanella said. “Most of my biblical values line up with the conservatives.”
Closing time
Jennifer Latham, 45, was the last voter at the Oak Lawn library off Cedar Springs Road.
The library saw a flurry of activity in the last minutes with cars speeding up to the front door so voters could jump out and dash in.
Latham did not say who she voted for, but she said she had no last-minute doubts.
“It’s my civic duty,” she said. “I’m happy that my part is over with.”
Elliot Fischer, 37, a regular at the Uptown Pub, went out to the bar by himself to watch the results Tuesday evening. Donning an American flag scarf, brooch and a woven straw hat, he said he enjoys dressing up for Election Day — which he considers special.
“I just think it’s great that we get, you know, we have get to have free and fair elections,” Fischer said.
By 9:45 p.m., he was surprised at how close the presidential race was.
Fischer, who is gay, said he has friends who fall on both sides of the political spectrum. Despite the outcome of the race, he said he believes the country is already divided.
“Someone is going to win, people’s feelings are going to be hurt,” he said. “I hope there’s not violence.”
