Election Day got off to a soggy start as thousands of Harris County residents braved a furious downpour to cast their ballots.
At the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Montrose, early-morning voters dashed to and from their cars to escape the deluge. Campaigners gripped soggy flyers and waterlogged signs, eager to make last-minute appeals to residents hurrying inside the polling center.
Voters are casting their ballots in the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. But for many residents who spoke to the Houston Landing Tuesday morning, down-ballot races were top-of-mind.
Depending on where they live, Houstonians are tasked with deciding between 50 and 70 contests, including key local races for Harris County district attorney, tax assessor-collector, appellate judges and constables. Voters also will decide a contentious $4.4 billion school bond measure and a proposed property tax increase for flood control maintenance.
While Tuesday morning’s weather may have spooked some, officials believe many of the votes that will decide local races already have been cast. The 1.2 million ballots submitted during early voting are expected to make up more than 70 percent of total voter turnout.
As of 3 p.m., more than 200,000 people had voted in person in Harris County, according to the Harris County Elections Department. More than 700 polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. today. Visit Harris County’s vote center map to view real-time wait estimates.
Rain a reminder
For resident Mirena Fonseca, a local nurse, Tuesday morning’s rain underscored the importance of one down-ballot measure — a tax hike proposed by the Harris County Flood Control District.
The district is asking voters to OK a 1.58-cent property tax rate increase to put toward maintenance projects and flood prevention measures, such as replacing concrete and managing vegetation.
“It’s raining so hard right now,” Fonseca said at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center. “I just think back to the hurricanes, and trying to improve our city.”
The sentiment was echoed by Emily Pun, a 31-year-old marketing professional, who said the flood control tax was the top issue driving her to vote.
“There’s a lot of minority communities here that are impacted by a lot of the developments that are happening within downtown and in those gentrified areas,” Pun said. “It should be fair that they get the same protections against flood that we do over here in these more affluent areas.”
Ana Rivera, a Spring resident who voted at the Harris County Attorney’s office this morning, put her thoughts on the tax hike simply: “Do we hate being taxed? Yes. Is it mandatory for a city like Houston? Yes.”
Billions on the ballot
Houston ISD’s $4.4 billion bond arguably has been the most controversial local measure on the ballot this election cycle.
If approved, the bond would fund the rebuilding and renovating of schools and security upgrades, among other investments. However, the measure largely is being treated as a referendum on the district’s state-installed leadership, who critics argue can’t be trusted to manage what would be the largest school bond in state history.
Across voting locations Tuesday morning, voters shared mixed feelings about the proposal.
Kyle Husfeld, a 35-year-old Energy Corridor resident said he voted for the bond because he is in favor of supporting public schools. Husfeld voted at the Harris County Attorney’s office where turnout was a slow trickle this morning — seeing roughly 150 people by 9:30 a.m.
David Cisneros, an Eastwood resident, voted against the bond at the Toyota Center, which had no line and roughly a dozen voters present around 11 a.m. He said supporting schools is a “broadly appealing line item,” but he does not trust current HISD leadership after what he feels was a “hostile takeover” by the state.
“It seems like poor timing,” Cisneros said.
Jason Orlando, a downtown resident, said he voted against the bond because HISD “can’t figure out what to do with the money they already have” and believes residents are “broke.” The district has reiterated that the bond would not cause a property tax increase for residents, but the large ask has sparked distrust among voters.
First time for everything
Colan Dishman, 61, of Fort Bend County took the day off work to drive his friend Emanuel Lee Ford, 68, to the polls for the first time in his life.
Ford spent most of his life in prison, but was excited to vote for the first time after getting his record cleared, Dishman said. Three months ago, Dishman took Ford to the DMV to get his license and register to vote, to prepare for Election Day.
“He cast his first vote of his life,” Dishman said at Tuffly Park Community Center in Fifth Ward. “That means a lot to me. And it means a lot to him. He just don’t know how to put it in words, but it means a lot to him. He was calling me, asking me to take him to go vote. He initiated it.”
The presidential race was the biggest draw for the first-time voter.
“If we can get more people like (Ford) coming out and voting, we can get Kamala over the top to run this country,” Dishman said. “Because we don’t want to go back to what we had previously (with Trump). Because things were getting hard for everybody.”
Local races less exciting for some
Some voters that spoke to the Landing said the races at the top of their ticket inspired them to turn out, with local contests feeling less important to them.
Morgan Parsons, 31, voted down the ballot for Democrats, but said she didn’t feel very educated on the local races. Her wish to see Ted Cruz lose his reelection bid drove her to vote.
“Texas is such a sensitive state,” Parsons said. “We’re in such a predicament. It’s scary.”
Christian Camacho, 32, voted at the Denver Harbor Community Center on his lunch break after his coworker encouraged him. He only voted in the presidential race, noting he didn’t keep up with local politics this election cycle.
Denver Harbor resident Mario Flores was also most concerned about the presidential race. He voted for Harris, citing his displeasure with Trump’s rhetoric towards immigrants and Hispanic and Latino people.
“I think there’s a lot of prejudice against the Hispanics and I’m tired of it. When somebody speaks about my people that way, I don’t like that,” Flores said. “It’s not American because this county was created by immigrants.”
Polls will close at 7 p.m. Tuesday — voters in line before then have the right to stay in line to cast their ballots. Houstonians also should prepare for a long night of vote counting. Officials warn it could be a while before official results come in.
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