New Polling Places Being Added in Smith County

TYLER — Voters in Smith County will now have a new location to cast ballots starting in March. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County has added a voting center at the Juvenile Attention Center. However, the new location was met with concern on Tuesday in Commissioners Court. “I don’t want to have to tell my children, grandchildren and great-grandchild, when they are old enough to vote, which some of them are, that they have to go to jail to vote.”

Pct. 4 Commissioner JoAnn Hampton responded during court, “It is one of the nicer facilities we have in Smith County. You do not have to go through security. You just walk in, I’m assuming we are going to put it to the right conference room. You don’t even know it’s a Juvenile Attention Center. Not a Detention Center. And we do that because we care about the students and kids we have here in Smith County. I do not appreciate you saying we are doing voter suppression, because we are not. This is a vote center. If you do not want to go vote there, you do not have to. You can vote anywhere in Smith County that you choose to vote.” Judge Moran further added, “the county continues to do everything possible to add more locations.” This will be the 35th voting location in Smith County.