Federal court Judge Jorge A. Solis and two other judges will hear the case involving straight-party voting on Dallas County's electronic voting machines, Solis ruled last week.
 
The Texas Democratic Party sued Dallas County last fall, claiming that elections officials skirted federal law by failing to alert the U.S. Department of Justice about "emphasis" votes that don't get counted when people vote straight-party on electronic machines.
 
If someone votes straight-party on a paper ballot and then selects a candidate within that party, the vote for that candidate still counts. But on electronic machines, when someone votes straight-party and also selects a candidate in that party, the machines deselect that candidate. The result is a no-vote in that candidate's race.