Pritzker says Republicans are "working to rig the 2026 election"
JB PritzkerGovernor of Illinois (Democrat), speaking at a Texas Democratic Party news conference in Dallas
At a Dallas news conference with Texas Democratic leaders, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker cited the Tarrant County polling-site reduction as an example of Republican efforts to suppress the vote nationwide and said Republicans were working to rig the 2026 election.
Responding to
Tarrant County commissioners' reduction of 2026 polling places was an attempt to rig the election.
“Republicans are also working to suppress the vote all across the country. In Tarrant County, the Republicans closed 92 in-person polling places last week, and Trump is attempting to have the Postal Service interfere with mail-in ballots across this state and every state. Republicans know that they can't win on the merits of their unpopular policies, so they're working to rig the 2026 election.”
Original video
Where this statement fits
Were Tarrant County's 2026 polling-site cuts an attempt to skew the election?
On September 1, 2026, Tarrant County commissioners voted 3–2 to approve 224 Election Day polling sites for the November election, down from 316 in the 2022 midterms. Heather Cox Richardson characterized the decision as election-rigging and cited access concerns. W. A. Wren accepted the counts but argued that her account omitted the county Republicans' savings and low-turnout rationale and countywide vote-center rules. The decision's motive and likely effects on access are disputed.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Recording of a September 9, 2026 news conference in Dallas held by Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, timed to the Republican National Committee's midterm convention there. Pritzker's opening remarks cite the Tarrant County polling-site reduction.
Before the quotation
Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder and Pritzker held the Dallas news conference while the Republican National Committee held its midterm convention in the city, and Pritzker's opening remarks turned to voting rights.
After the quotation
Pritzker went on to call the effort a disgraceful attack on Black and Hispanic citizens and on civil-rights activists.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Pritzker names the Tarrant closures as part of an effort to rig the 2026 election, which condemns the decision and asserts the contested motive; his remarks about other states fall outside this case.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Tarrant County Commissioners Court
More from this case
Read the full caseWren challenges Richardson's framing
“Richardson isn’t lying. Everything she wrote checks out as far as it goes.”Read statement
Nathan Johnson says polling-site cut "does not read as a budget decision"
“We have not heard a remotely convincing argument that this reduction of polling locations serves any purpose other than to make it more difficult to vote. While County officials say this saves resources, to close polling places seven weeks out from a midterm election, in the county where voter participation is surging, does not read as a budget decision.”Read statement
O'Hare says every eligible voter will have "a fair, secure, and accessible way to vote"
“I want to thank our elections staff for the work that got us here, and I want to thank the residents who showed up and pushed for a better plan. Every eligible voter in Tarrant County will have a fair, secure, and accessible way to vote this November.”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
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- Pritzker says Republicans are "working to rig the 2026 election"
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Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Pritzker says Republicans are "working to rig the 2026 election"". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/2152-at-a-dallas-news-conference-with-texas-democratic