After a whirlwind summer and fall campaign stretch, it finally is time to vote in Harris County.
Monday marks the first of 12 days of early voting in Texas ahead of the Nov. 5 election for the county’s 2,697,739 registered voters.
“Life is unpredictable,” Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said during a news conference Thursday. “Voting early ensures that voters have adequate time to vote and reduces a little bit of the congestion on Election Day.”
All eyes will be on the top of the ballot, where former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris vie for the United States presidency in a race that pits starkly different styles of leadership and visions for the future of the country against each other.
The presidential election, however, is just one of more than 250 state, county and municipal elections playing out down the ballot in Harris County.
Countywide, voters are being asked to select a new district attorney and a new tax assessor-collector, as well as county commissioners and a county attorney. U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s bid for reelection in Texas Democrats’ latest hope in a longstanding effort to win a statewide race in Texas for the first time in three decades. General elections for legislative and judicial races, from appellate judges all the way down to justices of the peace, also are on the local ballot.
Voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on Houston ISD’s record-setting $4.4 billion school bond proposal, which faces stiff opposition from residents unhappy with 2023 state takeover of the district. Also, a property tax election aimed at providing the Harris County Flood Control District with an additional $100 million annually for drainage maintenance is being held countywide.
Voters should expect to see between 50 and 70 contests on their ballot, Hudspeth said.
Voters can view a sample ballot for their address at HarrisVotes.com before heading to the polls.
Vote where and when it is convenient
Because Harris County uses countywide polling residents can cast ballots at any of the 88 early vote centers throughout early voting.
Presidential election years always see the highest turnout, so voters should utilize the county’s vote center map, Hudspeth said. The map provides real-time updates about the length of the line at any given polling location, using the color green for no line, yellow for a short line and red for longer wait times, Hudspeth said.
The first several days of early voting often see the highest traffic before it levels off later in the week, Hudspeth said. The daily average of voters usually increases again in the final days of early voting, Hudspeth said.
Early voting runs through Nov. 1. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday this week. On Sunday, polls will be open from noon until 7 p.m.
The last week of early voting will see extended hours at all of the early vote centers. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Oct. 28 through Oct. 30. Halloween will see polls open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. before returning to the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule for the final day of early voting on Nov. 1.
For those planning to vote by mail, the deadline to request a mail ballot is Oct. 25. The application must be received by that date, with or without a postmark.
Completed mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the elections office by 5 p.m. the day after to be counted.
Election Days
A vast majority of Harris County’s votes are expected to be cast in the weeks leading up to Election Day, Hudspeth said.
Over the past two decades, voters of all stripes have trended toward casting their ballots during early voting or by mail.
In 2004, 57.8 percent of the vote was cast on Election Day, according to county election data. That number was just 12.8 percent in 2020, compared to 76.9 percent of voters that cast an in-person early vote that same year. The remainder were cast by mail.
Reminders
Under Texas law, voters must present one of seven types of photo identification to enter a polling place. Acceptable forms of ID include:
- 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
Don’t have a photo ID? You can fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration (RID) at the voting center and show 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.
If you cannot provide one of those, you may vote provisionally. You will need to sign a provisional affidavit and will have six days after the election to bring an approved photo identification to the county registrar. In Harris County, that is the tax assessor-collector’s office.
You can watch a video on how to use Harris County’s voting machines on YouTube.
Should you need assistance at a voting location:
- The ballot is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese
- You can increase the font size or contrast on the voting machines
- Curbside voting is available at every location for those who need it. Ring the buzzer under the blue sign set in the parking lot for assistance
- Accessibility booths are wider and have a separate control to accommodate mobility devices or a chair
- Remote interpreters for those who need language assistance, including American Sign Language, are available
You may not use your phone in the voting center. You may, however, take a printed copy of the sample ballot or list of preferred candidates into the voting booth.
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