For many people who lived during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement, the right to vote should not be taken lightly.
Now that polls are open in Texas, they’re setting an example for generations behind them.
Clara Alberty walked out of the Highland Hills Public Library with her daughter and great-granddaughter after voting. It’s a process she said was relatively smooth - just in and out of the front door.
She still has memories, though, of when life wasn’t that simple.
“If I went to the courthouse, I had to go downstairs to use the bathroom. I couldn’t use it upstairs,” said Alberty.
Early Voting Wait Times
- Dallas County voting location wait times (green <15 minutes; yellow 15-30; red >30)
- Collin County voting location wait times (green <20 minutes; yellow 20-40; red >40)
- Tarrant County voting location wait times (green <29 minutes; yellow 30-44 minutes; orange 45-59 minutes; red >60 minutes; blue means no data available.)
- Denton County does not report wait times.
Voting locations are open at different times on different days. Click here to see a schedule by county. Anyone standing in line at when the polling location closes will be allowed to vote.
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And while she’s been voting for decades, she said it sometimes meant enduring intimidation.
“I’ve been voting ever since I was 18,” said Alberty. “Sometimes they would give you a hard time.”
Alberty was 20 years old when the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965. Her daughter, Daphne Alberty, said the time they spent today was special – three generations at the polls, with the youngest not having to experience what the eldest encountered.
“Today was very important because, instead of being pushed backwards, we can go forward,” said Daphne Alberty.
Cassandra Hunter brought her 19-year-old granddaughter to vote for the first time.
“I got my first grandbaby voting and we’re making a difference,” she said.
With just one generation between them, there’s still a major difference in life experiences.
ONLINE: Your Voter Guide for the 2020 November General Election is here, with information on Federal, State and Local Races
“I remember riding in the back of the bus, going in the back of the line I remember all that,” said Hunter. “Martin Luther King didn’t do anything in vain. That’s how I feel right now about her voting.”
Barbara Blacknall said African Americans are not that far removed from the fight for a fair shot at voting.
“It [Voting Rights Act] was just two years before I was born. I was born in 67,” she said.
She said she can’t forget what it costs leaders like John Lewis, who, until his death this year, fought for the right to cast her ballot.
“I feel John Lewis’ smile. Even Martin Luther Kings,” said Blacknall. “I feel all of them”
