According to the latest (votes are still trickling in) data from the Dallas County Elections Department, voter turnout was up 20% this election compared with 2016, and the percentage of registered voters casting ballots increased by 7 percentage points. The extra week of early voting definitely helped to ease Election…
The first voter arrived at the Oak Cliff sub-courthouse on South Beckley Avenue almost an hour before the sun rose on this Election Day. By the time the doors opened, more than 20 people were waiting outside. There are 463 polling locations throughout Dallas County, all open from 7 a.m…
Carol Donovan and Rodney Anderson, the chairs of Dallas County Democratic and Republican parties respectively, issued a joint statement on this beautiful Monday afternoon in an effort to assuage high tension just before Election Day. While some businesses in downtown Dallas are hanging plywood over windows and Trump caravans ride…
We’ve searched high and low for election watch parties happening this week, but honestly, there’s not a lot going on. After the results in 2016, people are possibly skittish about attending a party. There’s also the issue of the pandemic. Aside from trivia games at Legacy Hall in Plano and…
Today, Oct. 30, is the last day of early voting in Texas, and Dallas County is on pace to surpass all votes cast in the 2016 election. High fives for being an involved electorate. In the 2016 election, 758,973 ballots were cast from the first day of early voting through…
In Noble Ape, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan recounts taking his five kids to London and how exhausting it was to chauffeur them around all day, lamenting, “Kids never wanna do something fun like sit in a dark bar and drink beer.” Well, Dallas has a bar Gaffigan and his kids…
On Tuesday morning, the following email was sent to Dallas County government employees: “Dallas County Election Department is in need of assistance at Election Headquarters at 1520 Roundtable.” It went on to say that both day and evening shifts are available. Elections administrator Toni Pippins-Poole and her staff are deep…
Tuesday, Oct. 27, is National American Beer Day. And while we really pride ourselves on a robust love of all beers every day, this is simply an excuse to highlight some local ones, to which we are certainly partial. So, as part of our monthly-ish beer round-up, the following are…
As the election heads down to the wire, perhaps you find yourself trolling Nate Silver, then quickly swearing off all social media, followed by immersing yourself in an episode of House Hunters International, which is honestly more of a scouting report, only to check Twitter once more after learning that…
Dallas County and the nation are staring at a steep rise in COVID-19 cases. Eight months into the pandemic, little has changed in terms of broad strategy to contain the spread. Wearing a mask, hand-washing, social-distancing and avoiding large gatherings are the leading strategies to flatten the curve until a…
If you’re looking for some socially-distanced and potentially thought-provoking pursuits this weekend, you actually have a few options. A couple of these events are outdoors and with the weather expected to be humming “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers all weekend, it’s a great time to do something besides Twitter doom-scrolling…
Criminal cases in Dallas County courts have been at a virtual standstill since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. One of the biggest hurdles the court system is trying to overcome is how to select a jury in times of face masks and social distancing. At the county commissioners court meeting on…
With five days of early voting in the books, Dallas County voters are casting ballots at a record pace, both in-person and by mail. With an extra week added to early voting because of the coronavirus pandemic, turnout could be historic. The Texas Secretary of State’s website is updating voting…
I live with people who spend most of the year working on their Halloween costumes. They conceptualize, design and create as much as possible from scratch, repurposing random things from the garage or hardware store. And so, they’re quite jazzed to show off their concepts and artwork come the last…
“I have all very yummy days,” is one of the first things Donna Collins told me about herself on the phone recently. It’s not a bad introduction. Collins is the jelly queen, even though she says there are many, all of whom she’s worked or cooked with over the years. It…
As a chill blanketed North Texas early Tuesday morning, thousands of Dallas County voters woke up and made their way to the polls, the first day of early voting in Texas for the 2020 general election. The doors were officially unlocked at 7 a.m., but voters began lining up at…
Sam Damask didn’t have a Plan B when he resigned from Dallas ISD. Tuesday night, the first-year middle school math teacher quit because of coronavirus. Students poured back into school buildings Monday as part of the district’s hybrid learning model. With kids back in class, Damask said he soon realized…
The commissioners court oversees the Dallas County Elections Department, which determines all the precise details of our elections. It is spearheaded by Toni Pippins-Poole, who is retiring at the end of November. And after comments in the meeting, we’re guessing that Boys II Men’s “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye…
Note: Early voting begins Oct. 13 in Texas. The Dallas County Elections Department, which oversees many aspects of our local elections, held a registration drive right up until the midnight deadline Monday. For most of the day cars snaked through the parking lot and into the street as drivers waited…
Through an initiative with the city of Dallas and the CARES Act, Dallas City Council members have been providing some local restaurants with personal protective equipment. “I love our local restaurants,” District 6 City Council member Omar Narvaez says. “But even seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, some people still…
Dallas ISD schools welcomed more students back to class Monday while COVID-19 cases across the county are trending up. According to Dallas County, last week there was an average of 350 new daily cases versus 292 the week before. Other districts around North Texas and the state have already opened…
The Dallas County Elections Department has received more than $15 million in a grant from the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) to help with critical resources in the upcoming general election. The CTCL is a nonprofit that provides funding to local election offices across the country. Before the pandemic,…
