Simmons calls the cuts an attempt to confuse voters of color
Alisa SimmonsTarrant County commissioner and Democratic candidate for county judge
Simmons tells Mother Jones that cutting voting locations in diverse areas such as college campuses is an attempt to confuse voters and lead voters of color to give up. She says officials afraid of an opponent should run a better race instead.
“This is an attempt to confuse voters, to have voters of color just throw their hands up”
Reporting
Other statements by Alisa Simmons in this case
- Simmons calls polling-site vote "campaigning from the dais"Earlier: Condemned
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
Mother Jones report on the removal of campus polling sites in North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. Its Tarrant County section covers the loss of the University of Texas at Arlington site and quotes Commissioner Alisa Simmons and the UT Arlington student body president.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Mother Jones published the comment on November 2 in a story on the loss of the University of Texas at Arlington's campus polling site. The story does not say when Simmons gave it.
After the quotation
She continued: "If you are afraid of your opponent, you should just run a great race." Simmons was running against County Judge Tim O'Hare, who voted for the cuts.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Simmons, who voted against the cuts, condemns them as an effort to discourage voters of color.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseMiles says removing convenient polling sites creates barriers
“And when you remove a place that's convenient for the residents to vote, that presents barriers.”Read statement
Krause says the site count avoids clustering polling places
“we don't have polling places clustered together so we're making efficient use of our polling sites”Read statement
Mattern argues Tarrant needs more early voting sites
“if you expect a greater turnout, why have fewer poll locations? That just is nonsensical.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Simmons calls the cuts an attempt to confuse voters of color
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8191-simmons-tells-mother-jones-that-cutting-voting-locations
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Simmons calls the cuts an attempt to confuse voters of color". First published: 2026-11-04. Last updated: 2026-11-04. https://disputeindex.com/events/8191-simmons-tells-mother-jones-that-cutting-voting-locations