Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media
Pictured is a sign directing people to vote at the BakerRipley Ripley Center in Houston’s East End on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020.
Eight months after the death of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, his constituents in Houston finally have the chance to select his successor.
A special election for the right to complete Turner’s term in Texas’ 18th Congressional District is among the key races on the ballot Tuesday, which is Election Day across the state. Sixteen candidates are vying for the seat, which has been held by a Black Democrat for more than 50 years.
Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday. In Harris County, ballots also include a special election for a Houston City Council seat and elections for several other local municipalities and utility districts.
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School board seats in Aldine ISD, Cy-Fair ISD and Houston ISD also are up for grabs. The trustee races in Cy-Fair ISD have been especially heated as politically conservative candidates look to maintain their majority on the board.
Elected trustees in Houston ISD do not have voting power amid ongoing intervention by the Texas Education Agency, but the candidates who win Tuesday could gain voting power before the end of their four-year terms.
Seventeen proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution also will be decided by voters, who are being asked to weigh in on taxation, bail practices, dementia research and the state’s water supply, among other issues.
There are 600 Election Day polling locations in Harris County, and voters registered in the county can cast ballots at any of those locations. Some voters also are eligible to vote by mail.
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The early voting turnout in Harris County was about 8%, with more than 212,000 voters casting ballots between Oct. 20-31. That was down from the 239,000 who voted early during the last state constitutional amendment election in November 2023.
Among the most frequented early voting sites this year were located within the 18th Congressional District and Cy-Fair ISD, suggesting the races there were the most significant drivers of voter turnout.