This Texas Voter Had to Wait Seven Hours to Cast His Ballot, Then Went to His Night Shift
The indefatigable Hervis Rogers reportedly said: “I wasn't going to let anything stop me, so I waited it out.”
Nicole Hensley/Houston Chronicle
If you’re feeling exhausted after staying up to watch the Super Tuesday results roll in, spare a thought for Hervis Rogers—a Texas voter who had to wait in line for nearly seven hours until he was able to cast his ballot in the early hours of Wednesday.
Rogers was among hundreds of voters who experienced extreme delays when trying to vote at Texas Southern University, seemingly due to a high turnout and a lack of voting machines. He finally managed to vote at 1:30 a.m. and then told reporters that he was heading straight to his night shift at work, which he was already late for.
ABC13 reported that Rogers wasn’t angry about his absurdly long wait, and that he used his time in line to watch results coming in on his phone. “I wanted to get my vote in, voice my opinion. I wasn't going to let anything stop me, so I waited it out,” he told the local news network.
Houston Chronicle reporter Nicole Hensley spoke to Rogers after he voted. Rogers didn’t say who he voted for, but said that he was sure he made “the right choice.” Asked what was next for the night, Rogers said: “Well, I'm going to give in and go to work. I'm supposed to be there now.”
CNN’s Ed Lavandera posted a video of a group of voters who waited nearly six hours at the university, saying that they became friends during their long time in line and even snapped a group photograph together. He also posted a photo of Rogers leaving the building after his near-seven hour wait.
The Harris County Clerk’s Office reportedly insisted there were no major issues and that the outrageous waiting times were simply down to a high turnout and not enough machines. Clerk Diane Trautman said more machines were provided during the night after an extremely high turnout saw Democrats out-voting Republicans 3-1 in some places.
Former Vice President Joe Biden was the surprise winner of the Democratic primary in Texas on Super Tuesday, after he also clinched major wins in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and several Southern states.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) emerged the victor in contests across the West, including Colorado and Utah, along with his home state of Vermont. He also took the biggest prize of the night, California.