HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Voters in Texas’ 18th Congressional District head to the polls Tuesday to elect their first representative in more than 300 days, as the closely divided Congress grapples with thousands of pending bills.
The special election runoff comes at a critical time when Republicans hold a narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with 218 seats to Democrats’ 213. Four seats currently remain vacant, including District 18’s seat following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner last March.
“On the legislative side, it’s very important because almost a year, the citizens of the 18th Congressional District has not had any input into legislation that has passed,” said Michael Adams, professor at Texas Southern University.
Nearly 13,000 bills and resolutions await action in Congress, covering crucial issues from healthcare to veterans affairs. During this extended vacancy, District 18 residents have lacked representation on these matters.
Polling locations, including the Metropolitan Multi Service Center in Montrose, will remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters who received mail-in ballots can return them to any polling location today.
The timeline for swearing in the winner remains unclear. The special election winner will join a House where vacant seats have resulted from two resignations and two deaths, including Turner’s.
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