Church chosen as Dallas County's only early voting site in Rowlett could be closed after city finds occupancy certificate "issued in error"
ROWLETT — Freedom Place Church in downtown Rowlett is set to be Dallas County's only early voting site in Rowlett, but when polls open later this month, its doors could be shut.
The city revealed it discovered problems with the church's certificate of occupancy.
Concern over whether the small church could accommodate early voting crowds led to scrutiny of how it qualified in the first place for a permit to operate at its current building with only 10 dedicated parking spots.
In a letter to the church Monday, the city's director of community development, Cori Reaume, wrote, "A recent review of the Certificate of Occupancy issued for the structure(s) at 4111 Main St, Rowlett, TX 75030 indicated that the Certificate of Occupancy was issued in error."
In order to avoid getting the certificate revoked, Reaume said the church has 10 days to submit an outline of parking provided "on or immediately adjacent" to its site.
At a meeting of the Dallas County Commissioners Court Tuesday, Commissioner John Wiley Price tried to shut down suggestions that early voting could be moved to the Rowlett Community Centre for the general election next month.
"How hard would it be at this point in the process…" asked Commissioner Elba Garcia.
"STOP! STOP!" interrupted Price.
Rowlett Mayor Blake Margolis told CBS News Texas last week the city had offered up the community center with several hundred parking spaces at no cost to the county.
The location, he says, handled an average of 1,800 voters a day during early voting in the last presidential election.
"It's really shocking to me that they would choose a facility that's much smaller," said Margolis.
Addressing the criticism, Commissioner Price said the city had only offered the county use of one room in the community center.
E-mails provided by Margolis, though, show Rowlett city secretary Evette Whitehead in July detailing plans to accommodate curbside voting, use an additional room for overflow lines, and offer voting judges access to a separate room and kitchen in order to take breaks.
Commissioner Wiley dismissed worries that the size of Freedom Place Church could leave voters lined up out the door, saying that's not unusual.
"Outdoor cueing is common during major elections across numerous polling sites. Voter turnout is often unpredictable and long lines are a common feature of an engaged electorate," Wiley said.
He also pointed out the city appears content to use downtown street parking for festivals, a comparison several Rowlett residents called unfair.
"Number one those aren't during business hours and two, no one has a constitutional right to go to those events," said Susan Urrutia, who came to the commissioners' meeting to urge voting be moved to the community center.
"Your seniors, people in wheelchairs, they are going to have to cross a very busy street to get to that church," warned Kathy Kirk who addressed commissioners from home.
Price said he'd received complaints about Pastor Kason Huddleston's political advocacy, as well.
A review of Pastor Kason Huddleston's Facebook page shows his endorsement of President Trump and involvement in the Rowlett Republican Men's Club.
"Dallas County does not research or consider the political affiliations of property owners when selecting polling sites. The county has successfully used numerous churches as voting sites and the priority is to find free or cost-effective locations," said Price.
After hearing from residents, several commissioners appeared to question the move to hold early voting at the church rather than the community center.
"I understood that one of the reasons for the change was that there was a community request that we do. Does that make sense to you?" Commissioner Theresa Daniel asked Rowlett City Council Member Elise Bowers.
"That does not make sense to me," replied Bowers. "None of my constituents have requested that it go to a smaller facility rather than a larger one."
County Judge Clay Jenkins expressed reluctance to make any change three weeks before early voting is set to begin, citing the potential for unintended consequences and the likelihood candidates had already printed campaign materials listing Freedom Place as a voting location.
Concerned over the possibility the church could lose its occupancy certificate and be forced to close, though, Jenkins asked county staff to do further research.
"Once we get a little bit more information, if anything needs to happen, I'll call the special meeting on 72 hours notice so that we can get it done sooner rather than later," said Jenkins.