Early voting kicks off in Harris County
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Early voting is underway for Houston's hotly contested political races, including the mayoral election.
Driving the news: Voters cast ballots Monday for mayor, city controller, all of the City Council district and at-large positions, and a pair of city charter amendments.
- Early voting runs through Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7, with an expected runoff Dec. 9.
Mayor: More than a dozen candidates are vying to become mayor, but only one will prevail. Incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner is term-limited and has yet to throw his support behind any candidate. Here are the candidates:
- Julian "Bemer" Martinez
- Lee Kaplan
- Gilbert Garcia
- M.J. Khan
- Chanel Mbala
- Annie "Mama" Garcia
- M. "Griff" Griffin
- B. Ivy
- Kathy Lee Tatum
- Robert Gallegos
- Roy Vasquez
- David C. Lowy
- Gaylon S. Caldwell
- John Whitmire
- Jack Christie
- Sheila Jackson Lee
- Naoufal Houjami
Of note: Whitmire and Jackson Lee are front-running candidates likely to face each other in the runoff, per a University of Houston poll.
City Council: All 11 district council seats and five at-large positions are up for grabs.
- Each position has several candidates to choose from, except for three where the incumbents are the only ones on the ballot: District A (Amy Peck), District F (Tiffany Thomas) and District K (Martha Castex-Tatum).
City controller: Voters will also elect a new city chief financial officer, which provides financial oversight and conducts internal audits and budget analyses, among other duties. Here are the candidates:
City propositions: Two propositions could permanently change the city of Houston's charter.
- Proposition A focuses on allowing three or more City Council members to add items to the council's weekly agenda for consideration. Currently, only the mayor has the power to do so.
- Proposition B seeks to ultimately change the makeup of the Houston-Galveston Area Council to allow for Houston to be better represented within the metropolitan planning organization.
Also: There are several statewide ballot propositions and constitutional amendments to consider.
If you vote: Here's when and where polls are open for early voting in Harris County.
- And here's a full sample ballot.