Paula Ransom, 90, in her Fifth Ward home in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Ransom has seen so many changes in the world, and her own Fifth Ward neighborhood, but she still has hope that voting matters.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Paula Ransom, 90, in her Fifth Ward home in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Ransom has seen so many changes in the world, and her own Fifth Ward neighborhood, but she still has hope that voting matters.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
At 90, Paula Ransom knows the power of the ballot box, even if the younger generation around her isn’t entirely convinced.
She’s watched the country change, the political winds turn and new voters come of age. She knows that elections aren’t just moments in time; they can alter the nation’s trajectory.
Yet in Fifth Ward, the northeast neighborhood that the former educator calls home, less than 30% of residents turn out to vote. It’s one of the lowest rates in the city, and it breaks her heart that many of the young people don’t participate.
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“They are very disheartened about a lot of things in our community,” she said. “They feel like nobody asks them about how they feel about things or what needs to be done for their community. I’ve even tried to get some of them to just walk neighborhoods and encourage the elderly people to vote, and they said, ‘no.’”
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Ransom was encouraged by the first day of early voting last week, when more than 104,000 ballots were cast in Harris County, shattering the previous record of 63,000 votes set during the 2018 midterm elections. Black voters are a key reason that Harris County saw record early voting numbers last week.
Turnout has surged in areas such as Acres Homes, Sunnyside and near Tidwell, but Ransom isn’t so optimistic that momentum will carry over into her neighborhood, where the median household income is less than $47,000. It is one of Houston’s more economically disadvantaged communities.
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“These young people understand a lot about politics because they’ve heard their parents and their grandparents talk about it, and they know about it, but I’m just very unhappy that we’re not able to reach them,” she said.“That disturbs my spirit.”
Harris County has long struggled with low voter turnout.
In the November 2024 general election, the county had the most registered voters and number of votes cast in Texas, yet only about 1.6 million of the 2.7 million Harris County registered voters (58.8%) turned out to vote, according to the county’s official tally.
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Texas doesn’t make it easy to vote.
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In 2021, the state enacted a law that made casting a ballot by mail more difficult, and it cut 24-hour and drive-thru voting, which made voting easier during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, non-white voters were at least 30% more likely than white voters to have an application or ballot rejected under the new law.
Even when laws create obstacles, voting remains a democratic right that deserves protection.
“It’s a privilege to vote, and so many people have the wrong idea about voting,” Ransom said. “I tell them that they are not only voting for their rights, but also for their children’s rights. If you live to my age, you are voting for your children’s children’s rights.”
‘Everything has changed’
Ransom learned the importance of her vote long before she cast her first ballot at age 18. She remembers walking the neighborhood with her grandparents to place campaign flyers on doorsteps and listening to her parents discuss politics with church members after Sunday services.
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Growing up in a household where voting mattered taught her that her voice also matters and that voting is a responsibility – not just a right.
She carried that spirit into her young adult years when she became active in the fight for voting rights in the 1960s. She even marched with Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte and Jesse Jackson at a rally in Atlanta.
“I remember when we had to pay a poll tax, and you had to show a poll tax receipt to vote. I remember when people used to have megaphones and drove down the street announcing important campaign information. Neighbors used to talk with each other. I’ve lived through all of this, but everything has changed,” she said.
In those days, Ransom said everyone was engaged in voting. Elected officials regularly visited churches and businesses, checking on the elderly and encouraging the younger generation.
Paula Ransom, 90, in her Fifth Ward home in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Ransom has seen so many changes in the world, and her own Fifth Ward neighborhood, but she still has hope that voting matters.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
Now, Ransom and other residents say they get little support or even information from local elected officials. She said it’s hard to convince young people to vote when they have little faith in leaders who promise improvements that never seem to come. Too often, those same leaders are nowhere to be found unless they are running for office.
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Broderick Butler, a longtime resident who ran for City Council District B in 2019, agreed.
“A lot of the people who represent us politically rarely show up to even say hello,” he said. “They show up when it’s time to ask for a vote. So you have people who represent this community who have never even been through this community. ”
But that wasn’t the case with the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who was a constant presence in Fifth Ward. She attended community meetings, celebrations, funerals and church services. That mattered to a community that often felt overlooked.
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“Young people loved Sheila because she stood up for them. You knew she cared about what happened here. Even Sylvester Turner would show up for the community. And I tell you that (U.S. Rep.) Christian Menefee has a lot going for him. He’s come to our church, and I’ve seen him many places talking to people. I’m grateful for that,” Ransom said
Even when faith in the political system wanes, Ransom remains steadfast in her commitment to voting. She’s more excited than ever.
This week, she’ll be working at a polling location in Kingwood, wearing her voting attire: a red, white and blue sequined cowboy hat that was a gift from a former student, a red blouse and matching leggings.
“When I go work at the polls, I get so excited when I see young people, when I see mothers and fathers with their children who just became of age to vote,” she said. “I let them know I’m so glad to see them, then I tell them to make sure they tell their friends to vote.”