FORT WORTH, Texas — The front lawn at the Rodriguez household in southwest Fort Worth sports a Konni Burton campaign sign.
Stephanie Rodriguez said she always tries to support candidates and causes she believes in strongly. "I've always been a Republican. Always," Rodriguez said on Tuesday.
But as the mother of three young kids went to perform her civic duty Monday, she was met with some nasty remarks from a paid poll worker at the nearby sub-courthouse.
"I was typing in my access code, and had my son," she said. "This worker looked and said, 'Oh, if he's from Honduras, he should be on the trail!' I was just shocked."
Her toddler, Jerry, had tagged along with mom for fun. The youngster was wearing his favorite Honduran soccer jersey. "He was talking about the migrant caravan," said Stephanie. "I just couldn't believe it. It's almost like getting kicked in the stomach."
Little Jerry was born in Texas. Stephanie's husband is from Honduras but has been a permanent U.S. resident for four years.
She said she tried to laugh off the remark, but couldn't shake it so she called the county Tuesday morning.
The Tarrant County Elections Office acted swiftly when informed about the incident. The poll worker has been removed and isn't welcome back this election cycle.
Administrator Heider Garcia, only on the job seven months, said he's imploring voters and workers alike to leave their personal feelings outside the voting places. "We're proud of people for celebrating their differences through civility and with the ballot box," he said.
Residents are well aware tensions could be high in the coming weeks. For a mid-term year, turnout thus far is rivaling that of a presidential cycle, with Tarrant County alone seeing nearly 86,000 early voters in just two days.
Garcia said although there have been some long lines, most of the 40 or so early voting spots are running smoothly. "It's going well. Some locations are maxed out in terms of physical space, so we [just] can't fit in anymore equipment," he said.
Stephanie said she hopes even more registered voters make it to the polls before or on November 6.
She simply wants voters and workers alike to voice their opinions on the sidewalk outside, so people inside can vote in peace.
"We want to encourage more people," she said. "People need to be treated with respect."