Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media
Pictured is a sign outside a Houston polling location that says “voting this way” in multiple languages.
The Democratic and Republican nominations for November’s midterm election will be finalized Tuesday as voters in the Houston area and across Texas head to the polls to make their picks in a series of primary runoffs.
Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. There are more than 160 Election Day voting locations across Harris County, which includes Houston.
Party nominations are up for grabs in several local congressional districts. The Democratic primary runoff in the 18th Congressional District pits two sitting congressmen against each other in U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee and U.S. Rep. Al Green, a longtime Houston representative who last summer was drawn out of the 9th Congressional District by Texas Republicans.
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In the newly drawn 9th, which now figures to favor the GOP, Alex Mealer and state Rep. Briscoe Cain are vying for the Republican nomination. There’s also a GOP primary runoff in the 38th Congressional District, where Jon Bonck and Shelly deZevallos are competing to succeed U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.
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Hunt resigned so he could run for U.S. Senate, although he placed third in the March 3 primary and did not qualify for a runoff. That matchup is between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is considered the favorite after picking up an endorsement last week from President Donald Trump.
There also are marquee statewide races to succeed Paxton as attorney general. The Republican primary runoff features U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston, while former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and state Sen. Nathan Johnson are vying for the Democratic nomination.
Houston-area labor organizer Marcos Vélez is facing state Rep. Vikki Goodwin in the Democratic primary runoff for lieutenant governor, with the winner taking on incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in November.
On the Republican side, incumbent Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright is in a primary runoff against Bo French. The race has drawn attention because culture-war issues have become a focus of the campaign, even though the primary role of the railroad commission is to regulate the state’s oil and gas industry.
RELATED: Here are the key races in Texas’ May primary runoff election
More locally, primary runoff voters also will weigh in on judicial races and seats in the Texas House. There also are key county-level races on local ballots.
In Harris County, voters will pick the party nominees for county judge. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker is facing former city council member Letitia Plummer for the Democratic nomination, while the GOP runoff pits former county treasurer Orlando Sanchez against William Howell.
Vying for the Democratic nomination for Fort Bend County judge are Rachelle Carter and Dexter McCoy, the Precinct 4 commissioner. The winner advances to face interim County Judge Daniel Wong, the Republican nominee, in November.