Like everything else in 2020, the primary run off election is different, altered by COVID-19. Because of the pandemic, the runoff election date was pushed back seven weeks, from May 26 to July 14. Because of health concerns, counties have devised new protocols to try to ensure the safety of voters and poll workers alike. They are enforcing social distancing in lines and between voting machines — and providing protective shields and finger cots.

The lessons learned Tuesday will serve as a dress rehearsal for a high-stakes Election Day in November. To get a feeling for that, and for how things went in this unusual runoff, we sent photographers out to various polling locations around the state. Here’s some of what they saw.

First: A man votes inside Great Baptist Hills Church in Austin on Tuesday. Last: A voter talks to Save Austin Now campaigners at Great Baptist Hills Church. Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

People wait under the shade at the AISD Performing Arts Center in Austin.
People wait under the shade at the AISD Performing Arts Center in Austin. Jordan Vonderhaar

First: A voter waits in line at the Oak Lawn Branch Library polling location in Dallas. Last: A voter wears an “I Voted in Dallas County” sticker on their mask after voting in Dallas. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Frannie Griffin submits her ballot at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas.
Frannie Griffin submits her ballot at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas. Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: A sanitation station at the entrance of a polling site at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas. Last: A polling site at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: Voters check in with poll workers who sit behind barriers at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston. Last: Voters, wearing masks and spread 6 feet apart, line up outside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center. Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

Voters check in with poll workers who sit behind barriers at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston.
Voters check in with poll workers who sit behind barriers at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston. Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

First: People wait in 100-degree weather to vote at the Pflugerville ISD Rock Gym. Last: Voters enter a polling site in Austin. Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

A voter uses an umbrella for protection from the sun while waiting in 100-degree temperatures outside the Pflugerville ISD Rock Gym.
A voter uses an umbrella for protection from the sun while waiting in 100-degree temperatures outside the Pflugerville ISD Rock Gym. Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

Austinites cast their votes Tuesday in the state’s runoff election. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Signs with buzzers outside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston allow voters to ask for curbside assistance.
Signs with buzzers outside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston allow voters to ask for curbside assistance. Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

 Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Allie Goulding was a summer photography fellow in 2020. Allie has worked as a photography fellow at the Tampa Bay Times, an investigative news fellow at KABB-TV in San Antonio, and in various positions...

Shelby Tauber is a photo and multimedia journalist based in Dallas. Once a Tribune photography fellow in 2015, Shelby now shoots stories for The Texas Tribune covering women’s health, LGBTQ+ issues,...