Quick take
- About 8:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, a woman pounded on the door of the election building at North Alley and Webster streets in Jefferson, demanded to see what was going on inside, then went in through another entrance without permission. That is according to a Jefferson Police Department press release, as reported by the Marion County Herald and KLTV.
- She exchanged words with election workers and left after being told police were called, police said. She was gone before officers arrived. Information given to police shows ballots stayed secure and were not compromised, the department said.
- Elections Coordinator Karen Jones said no machines were touched. The incident was caught on camera, and election workers are helping police identify the woman, the Marion County Herald reported.
- Police are working with the Marion County District Attorney’s Office on possible Election Code violations and interference with election workers. Any decision on charges will be based on the evidence and applicable law, the department said.
Jefferson police are investigating after a woman went into the Marion County election building Friday night while election workers were closing up after the last day of early voting. Police say information they received shows the ballots stayed secure.
Officers were called to the building at North Alley and Webster streets about a disorderly person, KLTV reported. At about 8:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, after the polls had closed, a woman began pounding on the door and demanding to know what was going on inside, according to a Jefferson Police Department press release reported by the Marion County Herald.
Poll workers told her they were closing out the machines and shutting down the early voting site, as the Texas Election Code requires, the Herald reported. Police say the woman then went in through another entrance without permission and exchanged words with the workers. She left after she was told police were being called, and she was gone before officers got there, police said.
The Marion County Election Building is at 504 N. Alley St. It was a branch early voting site, and Friday was the last day of early voting, the county’s election page shows. It is also one of five Election Day vote centers.
Ballots secure, police say
Information given to police shows the ballots stayed secure and were not compromised, the department said. Elections Coordinator Karen Jones told the Herald that no machines were touched and no votes or ballots were in jeopardy. The incident was caught on camera, and Jones and the poll workers are working with police to identify the woman.
“Election officials are carrying out duties required by the Texas Election Code. They must be able to do that work without fear of intimidation, interference, or threats,” Jones wrote in a Facebook post Friday night, the Herald reported.
What happens next
Police are working with the Marion County District Attorney’s Office to look at possible Election Code violations and interference with election workers. Any decision on charges will be based on the evidence and applicable law, the department said. Police Chief Florentino Perez said no more information will be released for now, the Herald reported.
“The Jefferson Police Department takes this incident seriously and thanks the election officials for remaining professional, and for immediately notifying law-enforcement,” Perez said, the Herald reported.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Texas polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Texas Secretary of State says. For ID rules and other voting basics, see VoteTexas.gov.
Sources
- KLTV: Ballots were not compromised during incident at Jefferson polling place, police say (Oct. 31, 2026)
- Marion County Herald & Jefferson Jimplecute: Woman accosted poll workers at election building on Friday evening (Oct. 31, 2026)
- Marion County Tax Office: November 3, 2026 general and special election (early voting and Election Day locations)
- Texas Secretary of State: Important 2026 election dates (Election Day polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)