Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary election observation ceremony on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, on Tuesday alleged that Republicans tried to rig her primary race against moderate Texas Rep. James Tallarico, D-50th District, after the Texas Supreme Court ruled in an emergency decision against her campaign’s request to give Dallas County voters a deadline to resolve confusion over Republican-led changes to polling locations.On Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats did not hold a joint primary, resulting in restrictions on polling places, which Democrats, like Crockett, claimed disenfranchised voters.Crockett’s claims came after the Texas Supreme Court overturned a ruling by a lower judge to keep polling places open longer, mandating that any votes cast after the initial closing time be separated. Democrats pushed to keep polls open longer amid polling place restrictions resulting from Republicans and Democrats not holding joint primaries.
“Knowing that Dallas County is a huge vote dump, in my opinion we will not know the election results overall tonight,” Crockett told supporters who gathered to celebrate her potential victory.“So, this is my news, we’re not going to get election results tonight, in my opinion, based on what happens specifically in Dallas County. Unfortunately, that’s what Republicans like to do. And so, they specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why.”
The Texas Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a lower court ruling earlier in the night that gave voters in Dallas County until 9:00 p.m. to cast ballots led to tabulators being instructed to discard votes that came in after 7:00 p.m.“I can tell you right now that people have been disenfranchised,” Crockett told supporters at a campaign event Tuesday evening as the courts proceeded. “In my opinion, we will not know the overall election results tonight.”Voters faced confusion Tuesday evening amid a decision by some counties, including Dallas, to separate locations where voters can cast ballots in the Republican and Democratic primaries.Under Texas law, party leaders can object to their primaries being conducted together, in the same locations and through the same equipment. For Tuesday’s primary, counties like Houston decided to forego joint primaries to protect against cross-voting, fearing that holding Republican and Democratic elections in the same locations would lead to subversion.Meanwhile, voters in Texas can also participate in any primary without party registration since it hosts an open primary.“They specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why,” Crockett said Tuesday night.
