HOUSTON – A special election is being held in November to fill late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s seat in Congress.
Voters in Texas’ Congressional District 18 will elect a representative who will finish out the unexpired term.
Why is a special election being held?
U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner died on March 5, leaving his seat vacant.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a special election on Nov. 4 to elect the person who will finish out the term that expires in January 2027.
Who can vote? 
Texas’ 18th congressional district (Photo: U.S. House website)
Local perspective:
Registered voters who live in Texas’ 18th Congressional District can vote in the special election.
District 18 encompasses a portion of Harris County.
Click here to find your district.
In order to vote in the Nov. 4 election, voters must have registered by Oct. 6. Click here to check if you are registered.
Who are the candidates?
There was no primary election to narrow down the field of candidates, so 16 names will appear on the ballot.
In order to win, a candidate will need to get more than 50% of the vote. If no single candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, the race will head to a runoff between the top two candidates who got the most votes.
Here are the candidates in the order they appear on the ballot:
Ollie J. Knox – Republican PartyAmanda Edwards – Democratic PartyJolanda Jones – Democratic PartyTheodis Daniel – Republican PartyVince Duncan – IndependentGeorge Edward Foreman IV – IndependentIsaiah R. Martin – Democratic PartyTammie Jean Rochester – Green PartyChristian Dashaun Menefee – Democratic PartyValencia Williams – Democratic PartyRonald Dwayne Whitfield – Republican PartyReyna Anderson – IndependentCarter Page – Republican PartyFeldon Bonner II – Democratic PartyStephen Huey – Democratic Party Carmen Maria Montiel – Republican Party What else is on the ballot? Texas constitutional amendments
Every voter in Texas will be able to vote on 17 propositions in the Texas Constitutional Amendment Election.
Voters will be able to choose whether to approve amendments to the state’s constitution impacting everything from property taxes to bail to dementia research.
Local elections
Voters in several counties will see elections on positions and measures that impact their community. That might include bonds, school board trustees, city council positions or bonds impacting utility districts.
Sample ballots:
Click here to see the sample ballot for your area.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Texas Secretary of State website, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Harris County sample ballot and previous FOX 26 reporting.