The Houston mayor’s race is the marquee attraction on a long list of local offices, bonds and propositions up for a vote around the region on Tuesday.
Longtime state Sen. John Whitmire is squaring off against U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, and 16 other contenders, in the race to replace outgoing Mayor Sylvester Turner. Together the candidates have poured millions of dollars into the race, with accusations flying between the major candidates in recent days.
If nobody secures more than 50 percent of the vote, the race will head to a Dec. 9 runoff.
In addition to the mayor’s race, voters in Houston will decide the fate of a proposed charter amendment to expand the power of city council members and another to shake up the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
Voters across Harris County will weigh in on a proposal to issue a $2.5 billion bond to upgrade Harris Health System facilities.
There is more. Fort Bend County voters will weigh an $865 million bond package for parks and mobility; voters in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District will have a chance to give its board a makeover; and residents across the state will vote on constitutional amendments.
How to vote in Harris County
Harris County’s 2.5 million registered voters can cast their ballots Tuesday if they have not participated in early voting. Not sure if you are registered to vote? You can check your status here.
Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are in line at 7 p.m., you may stay in line to cast your vote.
Voters in Harris County may vote from any of 701 locations. A full list of Election Day voting centers can be found here.
You may want to prepare to make your choices with the Houston Landing’s mayoral election guide or a guide prepared by the League of Women Voters. Harris County voters can view a voter-specific sample ballot online here.
Harris County ballots are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Voting in other counties
Voting locations and sample ballots for other counties are available at these links:
What to bring
Voters will need to carry one of seven types of photo identification to cast a ballot. The acceptable forms of identification are:
- Texas driver’s license
- Texas personal identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety
- United States citizenship certificate containing a photo
- Texas handgun license issued by DPS
- Texas election identification certificate issued by DPS
- U.S. passport
- U.S. military ID containing a photo
If you do not have a photo ID, you can fill out a declaration at the polling place and present a copy or original of a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government document that shows your name and address, your voter registration certificate, a government check, a paycheck or a certified U.S. birth certificate.
Voters lacking one of those documents may cast a provisional ballot, but must return to their county registrar within six days with a photo ID for that vote to count. In Harris County, that means they must go to the tax assessor-collector’s office.
Harris County uses electronic voting machines. The county has posted a video explainer of how to use those machines on YouTube. Voters may adjust the font size or contrast of their machine.
You may be tempted to look at your phone once you see the ballot. That is against the rules in Texas, but you may bring a printed copy of a sample ballot or list of choices.
Need help?
Remote interpreters are available for people who need language assistance, including American Sign Language.
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