Millions of Texans are expected to crowd polling locations Tuesday for primary elections.
Early voting numbers show a vast upswing in interest across the state with Democrats marking a 98 percent increase in votes cast compared to 2014 and a 16 percent increase for the GOP.
In Tarrant County, part of the training for poll workers included how to keep the lines moving.
“We do give [workers ideas] on how to keep the line flowing quicker,” acting Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia said. “Make sure voters understand that you are trying to serve everybody.”
According to Collin County Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet, Collin County will have more equipment and workers in place. That decision was made before even seeing the large turnout for early voting. Sherbet thinks the county may have already seen the bulk of their voters during early voting.
“When we plan elections, we have to assume that everybody is going to show up. There is never 100 percent turnout, but you have to have supplies for everybody,” Garcia added.
Garcia said that while lines in Tarrant County could be long, those who are in a hurry can request a paper ballot from a poll worker.
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“You can grab your ballot and you are not waiting for someone,” Garcia said. “You are just going to a place and filling it out and when you are done can scan it and scanning it takes five seconds.”
Collin County also has paper ballots available, but only at the main polling location at 2010 Redbud Boulevard in McKinney. Voters in Collin County are able to vote at any of the 61 voting centers in the county and voters are not assigned to a certain precinct.
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