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, and two of the congressional candidates made early appearances at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center. Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards and acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, the leading candidates in terms of recent polling and campaign fundraising, made pitches to voters and also addressed the significance of their race.
“We’ve been without a vote, we’ve been without a voice, we’ve been without our advocate for federal funding for far too long,” Edwards said. “And so for this district in particular, this is a very special opportunity to get their voice back.”
While the 18th Congressional District has gone without representation in Washington, Edwards said she’s made trips to the Texas Capitol in Austin to advocate for residents of the district. Menefee also described himself as an advocate for those constituents, many of whom he has served as the county attorney.
The race also includes state Rep. Jolanda Jones and fellow Democrat Isaiah Martin, a former staffer for the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who preceded Turner in the congressional seat. Among the Republicans on the ballot is Carmen Maria Montiel. Political independent George Edward Foreman IV, a son of the late boxing champion George Foreman, has a familiar name to Houston residents.
Fair wages and affordable health care are among the important issues to residents of the 18th District, according to Menefee.
“The number of billionaires has exploded in this country. The most wealthiest folks are paying less in taxes than they ever have in the history of this country,” he said. “What that says to me is we have a deeply embedded problem of income inequality, of wealth inequality in the country. We’re now working more for the billionaires and the ultra rich than we are for the average working Joe and Jane.”
Other races
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.
“Initially it started off pretty slow with early voting,” Edwards said Tuesday. “We saw a turnaround and uptick in voters toward the end, and it looks like the Election Day line is starting to form. People are wanting to cast their vote and make their voice heard.”
Constitutional crisis?
Two voters Tuesday at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, located on West Gray Street in west Houston, seemed perplexed about some of the statewide constitutional amendments on the ballot, along with the number of them.
The 17 propositions appearing before voters across Texas are an increase from November 2023, when there were 14 constitutional amendments on the ballot.
“It doesn’t seem normal,” Houston resident Geraldo Olivo said. “It seems like a lot.”
Many of the propositions on this year’s ballot are related to taxation, including property tax exemptions. There also are measures related to bail practices and disciplining state judges, funding for technical colleges, U.S. citizenship requirements for voting and parental rights.
Voting “yes” for Proposition 15 would affirm the rights and responsibilities of parents, who already have the right to care for their children.
“We are voting on whether or not parents have sovereignty over their children. Why is this necessary for a constitutional amendment?” Houston voter Feliza Bencosme said. “It’s just a very sad state of affairs that we are in.”
Olivo said he wanted to exercise his right to weigh in on the statewide propositions as well as the more local races on the ballot, and he hoped others would do the same throughout the course of the day.
“I know it’s important, so I’m here,” he said. “So I want to make sure. I want to do something.”
Houston Public Media’s Thomas Perumean contributed to this report.
