Court Battles Texas Supreme Court halts lower court ruling on extended voting hours in Dallas by Caroline Vakil - 03/03/26 10:11 PM ET by Caroline Vakil - 03/03/26 10:11 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING The Texas Supreme Court halted a lower court’s ruling on Tuesday that extended voting hours in Dallas County amid Democratic voter confusion at poll locations. The Lone Star State’s high court temporarily paused a lower court’s decision to extend Dallas County’s voting hours until 10 p.m. EST after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) appealed the decision and argued the court didn’t give him notice of the ruling. The state’s highest court added that any votes cast after 8 p.m. EST, when polls were originally scheduled to close, should be separated as the court weighs the merits of the case. A Texas judge ordered the polls in Dallas County to remain open later after Democratic voters were turned away at certain polling locations. Dallas County separates polling locations by party, meaning that Republicans and Democrats cast ballots at different locations. The confusion among Democratic voters prompted the party to ask the courts to extend time for voters in the county, so people could vote at their proper polling locations. The high court’s reversal creates uncertainty in several key primaries in Texas, delaying the vote count and is likely to encourage litigation over the election outcomes.   Dallas County is one of the largest in Texas and is a key Democratic bastion. The county will play a consequential role in the Democratic Senate primary between Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and state Rep. James Talarico (D) in addition to the contested Democratic primary between Rep. Julie Johnson and former Rep. Colin Allred. Paxton is running for Senate against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), with Decision Desk HQ projecting that the duo are headed into a May 26 runoff. Updated at 10:34 p.m. EST Add as preferred source on Google Tags Colin Allred Jasmine Crockett John Cornyn Julie Johnson Ken Paxton Wesley Hunt Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Court Battles News See All State Watch Live results: Roy seeks GOP nod in Texas attorney general primary by The Hill Staff 7 hours ago State Watch  /  7 hours ago