DALLAS – After voter confusion on primary election day in March, Dallas County Republicans want to change how the May runoff elections will work.

Dallas County GOP returns to countywide polling sites

What we know:

The Dallas County Republican Party announced it wants to return to countywide elections for the May 26 runoff elections.

For the March primary elections, Republicans had requested a split primary. That decision split the two parties’ voting locations instead of holding a joint election with countywide voting centers. Polling locations were instead determined by precincts.

Dallas County GOP Chairman Allen West released the following statement on the change.

“I have made the decision that seeking to do precinct based operations for the runoff Election Day exposes the DCRP to increased risk and voter confusion. From the end of April through May there will be municipal elections and early voting for the runoff. All of these elections are countywide voting. To then shift for the one day runoff election to precincts would bring about large scale disruption. This week I will sign an amended contract for the DCRP to execute non-joint countywide runoff election.”

The Dallas County Elections Department confirmed that both parties appear in agreement on countywide voting locations in May.

Split primary causes confusion on election day

The backstory:

The split primary led to confusion for Dallas County voters on March 3, mainly from Democrats.

Many voters were turned away from their usual polling locations due to the change. An error on the Texas Secretary of State’s website gave voters incorrect information on polling locations and led to even more people being turned away, and the Dallas County website crashed with voters trying to figure out where they could vote.

Based on the early confusion, Dallas County Democrats asked for and received a court ruling that extended voting hours in Dallas County until 9 p.m. for Democrats.

Ten minutes before the new deadline, the Texas State Supreme Court overruled the Dallas County judge, meaning that any of the around 2,000 votes cast after the original 7 p.m. deadline did not count.

Dallas County Democrats respond

The other side:

Dallas County Democrats ridiculed the change in a statement, saying the change is “a clear admission that their own election changes were a failure.”

“After causing chaos on Election Day, Republicans are now scrambling to undo the damage they created,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder. “For months, Democrats warned that forcing a return to a precinct-only system during Election Day would confuse voters, create long lines, and turn people away from the polls, and that’s exactly what happened. This was a completely avoidable failure that wasted taxpayer dollars and undermined voter confidence.”

“Now that the consequences are impossible to ignore, Republicans are suddenly trying to remember what it means to serve the people. Texans shouldn’t have to endure manufactured crises just so politicians can score points with their base. Democrats will continue fighting to ensure every voter can cast their ballot freely, fairly, and without unnecessary barriers.”

Explaining the change

Dig deeper:

FOX 4’s Amelia Jones talked to Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at SMU, about why both parties will be happy with the change.

“It’s not clear what the party really gained from preventing countywide voting on Election Day in the first place, and we know that some voters in Dallas County were confused,” Wilson told Jones. “I think Democrats will be happy with this change. Democrats never really wanted to go to precincts limited voting on Election Day in the first place, that was primarily a Republican initiative.”

The runoff election between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton for the Republican nomination for Senate might have gone into the party’s decision to return to countywide polling. Wilson says countywide voting could increase voter turnout for Republicans.

“That will be the main thing driving turnout during the runoff cycle. And so, yeah, I think definitely calculations surrounding that were central to the party’s decision-making in this case,” Wilson said.

What’s next:

The Dallas County Elections Department says both parties were given amended contracts to implement the changes. Once finalized, more information will be shared with voters, including voting locations and election schedules.

The runoff elections are scheduled for May 26.

A member of Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s security team was killed by police in Dallas during a standoff, the congresswoman confirmed in a statement, writing that she was “shocked by some of the concerning revelations.”

Officials say Diamon Robinson, 39, was confronted in a parking lot by Dallas police before he barricaded himself in a car, was forced out with tear gas and allegedly pulled a firearm on officers. Police shot and killed him.

Authorities said Robinson had a criminal history and was the subject of multiple “felony warrants.” Despite his criminal record, Robinson was able to work as security for a sitting member of Congress.

Crockett said her team followed protocols in contracting additional security and said the vendor had worked closely with law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Capitol Police. Crockett called it “alarming” that Robinson was able to “circumvent the vetting process” and said the situation highlighted loopholes in the system.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Monday confirmed that a 39-year-old man who was killed in a standoff with Dallas officers last week was a member of her security team who had been using a fraudulent identity.

Diamon Mazairre Robinson lived as “Mike King” for years, during which he operated security businesses that hired off-duty officers, Dallas police said during a Monday press conference. Robinson’s real identity was exposed after Irving police put out a bulletin for a vehicle with stolen government plates, which a Dallas officer had seen while working with Robinson on a security job six months earlier.

Robinson fled Dallas police, who attempted to pull him over on March 11, escaping a brief chase before being located once more in a hospital parking garage, officials said. After an hours-long standoff with negotiators, officers shot and killed Robinson after he stepped out of the vehicle and drew a handgun.

In a statement posted on social media, the Dallas congresswoman confirmed that Robinson had helped provide security for her for years, and said her team had followed U.S. House procedure for contracting security. She also said Robinson, acting as Mike King, had worked with multiple law enforcement agencies, including Capitol Police. A spokesperson with the Capitol Police did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

Crockett said that her team was unaware he had been acting under an alias, but that Robinson had always maintained positive community relationships and never gave anyone reason to suspect he had misconstrued his identity.

“What we’re learning about his past doesn’t fit the person we came to know as Mike King,” Crockett said. “ His death evokes a range of emotions. Our hearts grieve the loss of someone we knew and the lost good that could have come from his redemption.”

DPD Deputy Chief William Kenneth said investigators did not discover Robinson’s true identity until after Crockett’s campaign for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race had ended. Crockett, a former public defender, said in her statement that she believed in people’s capacity for redemption and second chances. She also acknowledged Robinson’s prior criminal history and said they did not believe he had been charged with any violent offenses.

Robinson had posed as a federal officer under the “Specialty Dignitary Police,” a nonexistent agency he created identification cards for, officials said. He also had two active felony theft warrants from 2017, a parole violation, two vehicles with stolen government plates and multiple stolen firearms, including the one he produced before being shot, Kenneth said.