When people vote for Republican Senate primaries Texas Voters in Fort Bend County were frustrated Tuesday when faced with a choice between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Local election officials confirmed that voting was suspended at the polling station in Blumberg due to a machine failure.
Fort Bend County Elections Administrator Chase Wilson confirmed election issues, with voting delayed by two hours across the county on Tuesday as incorrect files were uploaded to the system. However, vote It has now been restored after a two-hour delay.
But one question among Fort Bend residents and even some local lawmakers is whether voting hours will be extended to make up for the two-hour delay caused by the glitch. Congressman Christian Menifee was one of the first to call for an extension to the vote.
“Voters should not lose a minute of their right to vote because of a technical glitch beyond their control,” Menefee wrote in a statement on X. “The right to vote is too important to deceive anyone.”
But so far, no extension of voting time has been announced. Voting in Fort Bend County, as well as elsewhere in Texas, is expected to close at 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
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Poll glitch raises concerns
Reports say many people in line to vote in Fort Bend County left polling places after the glitches occurred. While it’s unclear how many people missed voting, U.S. Rep. Al Green of Texas confirmed meeting with several people who were unable to vote due to the glitch, which first appeared around 3:30 p.m. Central Time.
“I just spoke to a district judge who couldn’t vote,” Green said. “So this shouldn’t be happening. If you didn’t vote, come back and don’t let the news you hear that the system may be down stop you from voting.
“If you get there and can’t vote electronically, request a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will be counted after all other ballots have been counted. If you are eligible to vote, you can vote provisionally.”
Failure details
Fort Bend County Elections Administrator Chase Wilson explained to local news outlet The Chron that the issue was caused by an incorrect file being accidentally uploaded to the system.
“Unfortunately, the wrong file was selected when performing the update,” Wilson said. “It effectively closes all the polling places that voters have to check every time they come into a polling place.”
Wilson said at around 5pm CDT that he expected the system to come up “within the next hour,” according to the Chron.
He added: “We have been in constant phone contact with the supplier throughout this process. They have confirmed that this solution will 100% resolve the issue.
