FACT CHECK: Did A Texas Polling Place Turn Republican Voters Away?
A video on Instagram allegedly shows a voter being denied the ability to cast a ballot in Texas during early voting in November 2022.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: Misleading
A spokesperson for the Office of the Texas Secretary of State confirmed the video took place during the primary election in March 2022. Voters who could not vote at one location were redirected to another polling place.
Fact Check:
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbot defeated Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke Tuesday evening, according to the Texas Tribune. The loss marks the third time the former Democratic House Representative lost an election since 2018, the outlet reported.
The Instagram video shows a polling official telling a voter that they’re closed due to being understaffed. The post does not provide where or when this video was taken. “Poll worker: you can only vote democrat,” the video’s text reads. “Not Republican because ‘I don’t have staff.'”
“Everything is totally normal guys,” the caption reads. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Ted Cruz Saying He Has Documents That Would Implicate Adam Schiff?)
The post is misleading. While the video did take place in Texas, the footage was taken and uploaded to Twitter in March 2022 and not the general election on Nov. 8.
UNBELIEVABLE! This just happened. @abc13houston @FOX26Houston @KHOUmelissa @NBCInvestigates #HOUNEWS @GovAbbott @TerryCanales40 @RepWalle @AdrianGarciaHTX @HarrisCountyRP @TexasGOP #VoteThemAllOut2022 #Texas #HarrisCounty #Houston #VotingRights #Democrats #Republicans pic.twitter.com/XJyrR9xBh9
— The Claims Investigator ® (@SIUIntelligence) March 1, 2022
Politifact previously covered the video, as well as other instances of similar events during the Texas primaries. The outlet reported that some sites were understaffed, leading to certain centers only allowing one party to vote at a location while other voters were redirected, according to the outlet.
“The issue back in March stemmed from a shortage of Republican poll workers for Primary Election Day in Harris County,” a spokesperson for the Secretary of State said in an email to Check Your Fact. “We have not received any reports of voters of any party being turned away from polling places due to political affiliation.”
Voters in Texas did run into some issues during the midterm elections, including voting machine difficulties and supply shortages, according to KHOU.
There has been no shortage of false information surrounding the midterm elections online recently. Check Your Fact debunked a post claiming that President Joe Biden has admitted to election fraud.
