Pastor-Candidate Tells Congregation to Vote at His Church

Frederick Douglass Haynes III, the Democratic nominee for Texas’ 30th Congressional District, told his congregation to vote at his church on Sunday, October 25. Haynes leads Friendship-West Baptist Church, which houses a polling location for Dallas County early voting.

Videos show Haynes speaking during the service. He pointed to a door and said, “You can vote here. You can vote here.” He told members they could cast ballots “right after church.” The church’s banquet hall foyer at 2020 W. Wheatland Road is listed on the county’s early voting list.

During the same service, Haynes invited other candidates to the front of the sanctuary. He promoted curbside voting for people with mobility limitations. In a separate clip, he praised Alisa Simmons, the Democratic nominee for Tarrant County Judge. Simmons is challenging Republican incumbent Tim O’Hare in the November 3 general election.

Haynes called Simmons by her first name and asked, “Where’s Alisa?” He told congregants from Tarrant County, “we got you.” However, Simmons’ race appears on Tarrant County ballots, while Friendship-West serves Dallas County voters. Voters at this site cannot cast a ballot for her.

The Dallas County Republican Party asked officials to remove the church from the polling place list because Haynes is a candidate. Everett Jackson, Haynes’ Republican opponent, protested outside the church on October 11. Ajua Mason, a Dallas County GOP official, said a candidate-pastor steering his congregation to his own polling site creates an imbalance.

Texas guidance restricts electioneering near active polling places. It includes a 100-foot zone at voter entrances and a 1,000-foot limit on amplified speech. These rules cover candidates even if their names are not on the local ballot. The exact time of Haynes’ remarks and their distance from voting operations remain unverified.

Both Haynes and Simmons received endorsements from CAIR Action, a 501(c)(4) affiliate of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Governor Greg Abbott designated CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization under Texas law on November 18, 2025. CAIR’s Texas affiliates are challenging that proclamation in federal court. The Dallas Express sought comment from Friendship-West Baptist Church but did not receive a response.