A Disturbing Look at Voter Intimidation In Texas

Poll greeter Carmen Ayala gives an eyewitness account

At Jolt Action, a Texas-based organization that encourages civic engagement in the Latinx Community, Carmen Ayala heads Poder Quince, one of the most unique voter registration programs in the country. (Poder means power, and quince is short for quinceañera.) As Jolt’s Culture and Events Manager, Ayala and her team set up photo booths and voter registration tables at quinceañeras, which celebrate the 15th birthdays of Latinx girls. La quinceañeras sign cards pledging that they will vote when they turn 18, and during their speeches thanking their family and friends, they encourage their guests to register to vote. Though Poder Quince is on hiatus due to Covid, Jolt has registered voters at 50 quinceañeras since the program began in May 2019.

On the eve of the November election, though, Ayala has turned her attention elsewhere. Since early voting began in Texas on October 13, she has served as a poll greeter at several polling places that serve mostly Black and Brown communities in Dallas County. In this role, she has witnessed, firsthand, long lines and what she describes as voter intimidation.

The story that follows has been edited for length and clarity.