ROWLETT, Texas — Dallas County Commissioners voted Tuesday to add a second polling location to the list of early voting sites in Rowlett ahead of the November election.
The commissioners court voted 4-1 to approve adding the Rowlett Community Center to the list of early voting and Election Day vote centers. The decision comes after a lengthy back-and-forth between Freedom Place Church and the city of Rowlett.
Rowlett Mayor Blake Margolis raised concerns that Freedom Place Church could not accommodate early voting due to a lack of parking and its size. In a letter to the city, First Liberty Institute, which handles religious liberty cases across the country, and the church accused Rowlett of violating the U.S. and Texas Constitutions by threatening to close the church's doors.
John Wiley Price was the lone dissenting vote, saying he believed allowing a city to dictate the number of early voting sites approved by commissioners sets a "dangerous precedent."
"The elections department has in place how they rate these voting centers, I see no need for a second voting center in that city," Price said.
Now, the Rowlett Community Center will also serve as a polling location. The first day of early voting is Oct. 21.
Commissioners also could have opted to designate the Rowlett Community Center as a voting location in place of the church or designate the Rowlett City Hall Annex as a voting center in place of the church and add the community center.
“We will make sure that every eligible voter has a safe and easy option to early vote in Rowlett," County Judge Clay Jenkins previously said. "Eligible voters are also able to vote at any location in the county during early voting and on Election Day.”
