Photo gallery: What primary Election Day looked like in South Dallas and West Dallas

Election Day for the March 2026 Texas primaries looked different in Dallas this year. When the Dallas County Republican Party abandoned a 7-year tradition of countywide voting — meaning voters could cast ballots anywhere in the county, despite their address or party — it forced both Republicans and Democrats to vote only at their assigned neighborhood precinct locations. 

Some were unaware of the change, leading to confusion when they couldn’t vote at their usual polling place. Others showed up at the polls to encourage neighbors to cast their ballots.

Dallas Free Press team members spent the day at various polling locations in South Dallas and West Dallas to speak with neighbors about their voting experience.

Clara Brown Trimble showed up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center to encourage others to vote.

“I’ve been in and out of here for two weeks working with different people to vote,” Clara Brown Trimble said. “Please just don’t be discouraged. Just keep on going and vote.”

Veronica Anderson, 66, said she walked more than 2 miles to vote at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center on Election Day, but found out she was at the wrong polling location. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to go to her assigned voting location without proper transportation.

“I walked up here because I want to vote so, so bad,” Veronica Anderson said. “Your self-esteem and everything is torn down.”

D’Andrea Williams, 30, was redirected to her neighborhood precinct voting location in Cedars. She said she usually votes at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center and was unaware of the change.

“Usually, when I vote for everything else, I just come here,” D’Andrea Williams said. “I don’t know if it was like an update I missed.”

Lifelong West Dallas resident Martín Marez proudly wears an “I Voted” sticker after casting his ballot at Dallas College West Dallas Center on election day evening.

“I was born not too far from here, so my family has been in this neighborhood for at least 50 years. We’ve been voting in this neighborhood for a very long time,” Martín Marez said.

John Paul Strubbe said he knew about the elimination of countywide voting but wasn’t sure how to find his voting location on the county website. He showed up at the Dallas College West Dallas Center and was assisted by election staff.

“I was looking it up online, but the website really sucks to use,” John Paul Strubbe said. “It was not user-friendly at all, so I can’t imagine how an elderly person who’s not familiar with technology is going to know how to find these locations.”