Dallas County Commissioner Candidate Accuses Incumbent of Using Mosques to Boost Democratic Votes

Dallas County Commissioner District 2 candidate Barry Wernick is challenging incumbent Andrew Sommerman, asserting the sitting commissioner bragged about converting three mosques into polling locations to aid Democratic candidates. Wernick’s press release cites video clips where Sommerman credits the new sites with delivering first-time voters who overwhelmingly supported Democrat Tina Clinton in a 2024 appeals-court race, and he later linked similar outcomes to mayoral contests in Richardson involving the Islamic Association of North Texas.

Sommerman contends the sites were chosen to give the Muslim community a voice and insists he received no financial support from them. Critics note that the polling places are tied to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which Governor Greg Abbott has designated a foreign terrorist organization in Texas. Wernick frames the issue as a partisan weapon rather than a matter of faith, accusing Sommerman of rigging the system to secure re-election. Sommerman has not responded to requests for comment.