Andrew Schneider/HPM
Former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee (left) and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards (right) on the debate stage at The Luke Church in Humble, Jan. 13, 2026.
Early voting in the special election runoff in Texas’ 18th Congressional District begins Wednesday. The district, which currently winds around much of Houston, has been without representation since the death of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner last March. The choice in the runoff is between two other Democrats, former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards.
Early voting will take place from Jan. 21-27, with Election Day on Saturday, Jan. 31. Voting centers will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. each day during early voting and on Election Day. A complete list of voting centers is available at HarrisVotes.com.
“There are 17 early voting locations for early voting,” said Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, who will oversee the voting. “Obviously, it’ll be over 60 on Election Day, and those early voting locations are strategically placed in the Congressional District 18 area or somewhere close.”
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TexasPoliGIS
The Texas 18th Congressional District as of 2021.
Hudspeth stressed there has been some confusion over who is and is not able to vote in the runoff. Last year, the state legislature conducted a mid-decade round of redistricting under pressure from President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott. The 18th Congressional District saw its boundaries expanded to incorporate parts of southern Houston and Fort Bend County that previously were part of Texas’ 9th District.
“Those voters who voted in November for [the 18th District] will be the same voters that can vote in that district for the runoff,” Hudspeth said. “Many voters know that the redistricting lines, the lines have changed, but those lines will not be applied until the March primaries.”
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The March Democratic primary will also feature U.S. Rep. Al Green, whose home was drawn out of his longtime 9th Congressional District and into the 18th during last year’s redistricting.