The Dallas County Democratic Party has withdrawn its lawsuit seeking to count ballots cast during extended voting hours on March 3, effectively ending any legal path to tallying nearly 1,800 votes that have been held in limbo since primary election night.
The party filed to "nonsuit" its original petition before the Texas Supreme Court on March 10, with county officials telling Votebeat that 1,756 Democratic ballots were at stake pending the lawsuit's resolution.
The collapse of the legal fight traces back to a chaotic Election Day set in motion by a decision from Dallas County Republicans. Under state law, political parties have wide authority to run county primaries. Dallas County Republicans abandoned the use of countywide vote centers - which had allowed voters to cast a ballot at any location - and returned to a precinct-based system of assigned polling places for Election Day, forcing Dallas Democrats to do the same.
The change sparked confusion, with hundreds of voters turned away from polling places and sent to the correct precincts. Dallas County Democrats obtained a court order extending Democratic polling hours until 9 p.m., with ballots cast after 7 p.m. counted provisionally. Attorney General Ken Paxton's office intervened, arguing it had not been properly notified of the request, and the Texas Supreme Court issued orders the same night instructing counties to separate any ballots from voters not in line by 7 p.m.
In a statement, Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman said the party had determined the Texas Supreme Court "is no longer a viable forum for seeking a fair and independent application of the law regarding this issue."
By the time the nonsuit was filed, Dallas County's ballot board had already finished reviewing each of the separated ballots by hand - required by state law - which would also have allowed the county to comply quickly had the court ordered the votes counted.
A parallel case out of Williamson County, north of Austin, where voting hours were also extended amid similar precinct-based confusion, remained listed as pending before the Texas Supreme Court as of this week.
Dallas County Elections Administrator Paul Adams noted that the number of voters turned away entirely - those who were confused and left without casting any ballot - may never be known. The Democratic Party launched an electronic survey of voters to better understand the scope of the disruption.
The March 3 primary results, which do not include the disputed late ballots, remain the official unofficial totals as counties work toward canvassing.
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