Highland Park ISD can follow through with its plans to set up mobile voting locations around the district for the bond election over the next two weeks, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
Dallas County District Court Judge Craig Smith denied a request for a temporary restraining order filed on Monday by University Park residents Beth Blankenship and William and Elizabeth Biesel, seeking an injunction by claiming that the use of mobile-voting stations violated state law and unlawfully influenced voters.
HPISD plans to set up the temporary stations on Oct. 21, 23, 29, and 30 at various campuses, including before and during football games at Highlander Stadium on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.
“If Defendant is allowed to hold early voting at sites which are not the regular designated early voting polling places nor the regular county polling places in regular county election precincts in violation of the Texas Elections Code, the voter turnout and the representative voters of the HPISD will be skewed improperly and the vote on the Bond Election will be unlawfully influenced, thereby irreparably damaging Plaintiffs and all of the resident qualified electors and taxpayers of the HPISD for which there will be no adequate remedy at law,” the complaint reads.
The district argued it was trying to allow more opportunities to cast ballots during early voting for the Nov. 3 bond election. (By the way, you can read the details of the $361 million proposal here.) The only two traditional early voting locations within the district’s boundaries are at the HPISD administration building and at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.
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“We are pleased that the judge has allowed voting to continue as scheduled at these locations,” said HPISD superintendent Tom Trigg. “The court’s denial of the restraining order is consistent with advice received from the Secretary of State’s office through the Dallas County elections administrator advising the district that voting at temporary locations is proper. Our goal from the outset has been to provide more opportunities for people to have their voice heard in this election.”
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