Matt Shaheen denies that Texas polling-site reductions are meant to suppress the vote
Matt ShaheenTexas state representative and chair of the Texas House Elections Committee
The Associated Press quoted Texas state Rep. Matt Shaheen, chair of the House Elections Committee, rejecting the accusation that polling-site reductions in Texas are an attempt to suppress the vote.
“We're clearly not trying to suppress the vote. That's a silly accusation.”
Reporting
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
Reporting
About this source
The AP report quotes Talarico's allegation that powerful officials wanted voting to be harder and Shaheen's statement, made of polling site reductions in Texas, that the reductions are not an attempt to suppress the vote. The report does not say when Shaheen made the remark.
Before the quotation
The Associated Press report does not say when Shaheen made the remark or whether he was referring to Tarrant County. It appears after the report's description of a Tarrant County plan to use 92 fewer Election Day sites than in the 2022 midterms and a paragraph on the wider trend of Texas counties reducing polling locations.
After the quotation
The report says Tarrant County officials describe the plan as saving resources by eliminating low-turnout sites, and note that voters would still have more than 200 locations where they could cast ballots.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Speaking of polling-site reductions in Texas, Shaheen directly denies the motive at the center of this case, saying the reductions are not an attempt to suppress the vote.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Tarrant County Commissioners Court
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Matt Shaheen
- Previous language
- Title: "Matt Shaheen denies the polling-site cuts were voter suppression"; before the quotation: "Shaheen commented while Tarrant County was considering a plan to use 92 fewer Election Day sites than in the 2022 midterms."; after the quotation: "County officials said the plan eliminated low-turnout sites while retaining more locations than state law required."
- Corrected language
- Title: "Matt Shaheen denies that Texas polling-site reductions are meant to suppress the vote"; before the quotation: "The Associated Press report does not say when Shaheen made the remark or whether he was referring to Tarrant County. It appears after the report's description of a Tarrant County plan to use 92 fewer Election Day sites than in the 2022 midterms and a paragraph on the wider trend of Texas counties reducing polling locations."; after the quotation: "The report says Tarrant County officials describe the plan as saving resources by eliminating low-turnout sites, and note that voters would still have more than 200 locations where they could cast ballots."
We presented Matt Shaheen's remark as a response to Tarrant County's polling-site plan. The Associated Press report quotes him on polling site reductions in Texas without saying when he spoke or whether he meant Tarrant County. We also wrote that county officials kept more locations than state law required. The report does not say that. It says county officials note that voters would still have more than 200 locations.
This corrects our account of what happened.
The AP report quotes Talarico's allegation that powerful officials wanted voting to be harder and Shaheen's statement, made of polling site reductions in Texas, that the reductions are not an attempt to suppress the vote. The report does not say when Shaheen made the remark.
More from this case
Read the full casePritzker says Republicans are "working to rig the 2026 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.”Read statement
Miranda Galindo opposes Tarrant County's polling-site cuts
“cut 92 Election Day polling places”Read statement
Wren challenges Richardson's framing
“Richardson isn’t lying. Everything she wrote checks out as far as it goes.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Matt Shaheen denies that Texas polling-site reductions are meant to suppress the vote". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2211-the-associated-press-quoted-texas-state-rep-matt