On Tuesday, Oct. 20, voting did not end at 5 p.m. when the polls closed at the Renner-Frankford Library, less than three miles away from UTD. Instead, with dozens of individuals still waiting in line, poll workers processed voters for another half hour until everyone in line was able to cast a ballot.
34,522 ballots were cast on the first day of early voting in Collin County — an amount proportional to 12.9% of all early vote ballots cast in 2022. For some, like neuroscience sophomore Kimia Sajjadi, the historic turnout is inspiring for young voters.
“I love seeing people who can vote go vote,” Sajjadi said. “There is a big chunk of people who can’t [vote] so I really appreciate that everyone is taking action and being a part of the change.”
Locations and hours
Collin County displays location information and wait times for all polling centers in the county on its website. An eligible location can be identified from the street by a white sign with red text reading “Vote Here” and “Vote Aquí.” Polling locations may also have campaign advertisements located at least 100 feet from the entrance of the voting center.
Voting centers in the county will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Friday, Oct. 23. On Saturday, Oct. 24, locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 25, locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. From Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 30, locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
On Election Day, all polling centers will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and all eligible voters in line at time of closure will be allowed to vote so long as they remain in line.
Parking and transportation
The south region of the county near UTD campus holds the highest proportion of zero-vehicle households. For those unable to drive to a polling center, DART will provide free rides to all individuals presenting a voter registration card on Election Day.
In the past three years, school districts such as Plano ISD have made Election Day an administrative workday, clearing polling locations from student populations which often complicated parking arrangements.
For those unable to physically access the polling center but able to be transported to a polling center, curbside voting will be available. Individuals should park in the handicap spot nearest the poll center entrance and call the phone number listed on the curbside vote sign.
Others may be eligible for a ballot by mail, which must be received “on the 11th day before Election Day.” All information regarding voters’ options may be found on official government websites.
Poll workers
Polling centers in Collin County are generally staffed with an equal number of Republican and Democrat clerks; however, the added turnout has some elections administrators concerned that voters will not be able to cast a ballot in a timely manner.
“We’re ready for Election Day but it’s going to be a lot,” an election administrator who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation said. “This number of voters is historic for a midterm year.”
One solution is to hire more poll workers and open more polling locations, the anonymous administrator said. UTD may be an untapped resource in that regard.
According to the federal 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey, 4.5% of poll workers are between ages 18 and 25 — the lowest age bracket for eligible voters. This trend appears to follow locally.
At ten local early voting centers surveyed by The Retrograde, only one location was staffed by a UTD student.