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Plan to cut number of polling sites in a major Texas county draws protests as Senate race looms

winnipegfreepress.com ·

Tarrant County in Texas is considering reducing the number of polling locations for the upcoming midterm elections, causing protests from Democrats. The county, which includes Fort Worth and borders Dallas, has over 2 million residents and is a key battleground in the U.S. Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton. County officials claim the plan will save resources by eliminating low-turnout sites, while still maintaining more than 200 locations for voters to cast ballots.

The proposal, set for a vote on Tuesday, would reduce polling locations by 92, compared to the 2022 midterms. Talarico urged the county to reject the proposal, saying that powerful people in the county and country don't want people to vote easily. County officials emphasize that they are not trying to suppress the vote and that the average distance between Election Day sites would be 1.5 miles.

The NAACP and ACLU have joined voting rights groups in signing a letter urging the county to reject the proposal, citing concerns about the impact on minority voters.

Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Also reported by 2 other outlets

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"People are watching"…CCTV to monitor Jeju Police Station appears 최근 경찰의 '과잉 진압' 논란으로 전국민의 이목이 집중된 가운데, 제주에 있는 한 경찰서를 감시하는 CCTV가 등장해 눈길을 끌고 있다. Recently, due to the controversy over the police's 'excessive suppression', the attention of the whole nation has been focused, and a CCTV monitoring a police station in Jeju has appeared, drawing attention. 제주참여환경연대라는 시민단체는 24일 제주서부경찰서 정문 앞에 '경찰 부당행위 감시 시민 CCTV'라는 현수막과 함께 CCTV를 설치했다. On the 24th, a civic group called Jeju Participation Environment Alliance installed a CCTV in front of the main gate of Jeju West Police Station, along with a banner that read "Police unfair conduct monitoring citizen CCTV". 단체는 "경찰의 과잉 진압, 인권침해 등에 대해 시민이 직접 감시하고, 경찰이 시민을 감시하는 것이 아닌, 시민이 경찰을 감시하는 시스템을 구축하겠다"고 밝혔다. The group stated, "We will build a system where citizens directly monitor the police's excessive suppression, human rights violations, etc., and citizens monitor the police, rather than the police monitoring citizens." CCTV에는 녹화기능은 물론, 야간에도 촬영이 가능하도록 적외선 기능이 설치됐다. The CCTV has a recording function, as well as an infrared function that allows for filming at night. 단체는 "CCTV를 통해 경찰의 부당한 행위를 상시적으로 모니터링하고, 인권침해 사례가 발견되면 즉시 경찰청에 통보하는 등 적극적으로 대응할 계획"이라고 말했다. The group said, "Through the CCTV, we plan to constantly monitor the police's unfair conduct, and if a human rights violation case is found, we will respond actively by immediately notifying the police agency." 경찰서 인근에 거주하는 주민 A씨는 "경찰에 대한 신뢰가 생기지 않았는데, CCTV 설치로 경찰이 더 공정하게 일할 수 있을 것 같다"고 말했다. A resident living near the police station said, "I didn't have trust in the police, but with the installation of the CCTV, I think the police will be able to work more fairly." 경찰 관계자는 "CCTV 설치는 경찰에 대한 신뢰를 높이는 계기가 될 것"이라며 "경찰도 감시의 대상이 된 만큼 더욱 공정하고, 책임감 있게 업무에 임해야 할 것"이라고 말했다. A police official said, "The installation of the CCTV will be an opportunity to increase trust in the police," and added, "As the police are also subject to monitoring, they must work more fairly and responsibly."

·hani.co.kr

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