Voting can be a potential legal minefield for those who may not fully understand the state's ever-changing restrictions. Just ask Hervis Rogers, whose life was turned upside down when he voted four years ago.

"It was a living nightmare," Rogers told the Chronicle last week in his first interview since his ordeal began.

In March 2020, Rogers, then 62 years old, waited for six hours to cast a ballot at Texas Southern University, watching as frustrated voters gave up and went home. When reporters arrived at the Third Ward polling location to document the disarray, Rogers told them he wasn't leaving. He thought his vote might make a difference. ,,,,,

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After his arrest, Rogers spent another two years in legal limbo: a district judge in Montgomery County dismissed the case, then the Attorney General's office refiled the charges – this time in Harris County – and the matter finally came to a close when a grand jury determined last summer that no crime had occurred.

And while he still encourages others to do their civic duty, Rogers has decided he won't vote again.

"I know I'm not," Rogers said, even though he is no longer on parole and is eligible to vote. "I mean, I care. But if I had to go through all of that just to vote? No."