Could Dallas County voter turnout boost Democrats across Texas?

Dallas County underwent a dramatic shift from red to blue in 2006, when Democrats won every contested countywide race. But the success of local candidates hasn’t translated into Democratic wins at the statewide level. More than 470,000 eligible Dallas County voters didn’t participate in the 2020 election, according to the county, a fact Beto O’Rourke is focused on in his race against incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as Nov. 8 approaches. Turnout for the presidential election was 66%. The most recent midterm election in 2018 had more who didn’t participate: 607,200 of 1.3 million eligible voters, making turnout about 54%. There are currently 1.42 million registered voters in Dallas County. Given those totals, Democratic Party leaders say nonvoters present an opportunity to pump up their raw numbers and boost statewide candidates. But that means Democratic candidates have to find ways to appeal to finicky voters.

One progressive group has been bailing people out of jail and helping them access photo IDs, and candidates have been meeting people in places they don’t often go, following the advice of cautious political consultants who believe trying to expand the electorate is a waste of time. “We’ve got to go to where people are,” O’Rourke said last month about campaigning off the political grid. “It shows that basic level of respect and courtesy of meeting people literally where they’re at.” He’s been campaigning at cafes, football games, barbershops and State Fair tailgates to expand his outreach, and voters at an East Dallas barbershop in August said they appreciated O’Rourke’s efforts. “If he shows that he’s willing to go wherever he needs to go to be able to connect with people, he’ll get more of us out to vote,” said Wanda Huckaby, a retired school principal from Dallas.