HOUSTON — Voters head to the polls again for the Dec. 9 runoff elections as Houstonians decide the city's next mayor and several city council seats.
Early voting for the Dec. 9 runoff elections began on Monday, Nov. 27, and ends on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Voting centers in Harris County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Unofficial results show just over 14,500 voters cast ballots in person on the first day of early voting, according to HarrisVotes,com. Over 17,000 mail ballots had been received.
Among the races that will be decided is the one for Houston mayor between Sheila Jackson Lee and John Whitmire. The Houston controller's race also heads to a runoff between Chris Hollins and Orlando Sanchez. You can see the full list of races heading to a runoff in the list below.
Races on the ballot
City of Houston, Mayor
John Whitmire | Sheila Jackson Lee
City of Houston, City Controller
Chris Hollins | Orlando Sanchez
City of Houston, Council Member, At-large Position 1
Julian Ramirez | Melanie Miles
City of Houston, Council Member, At-large Position 2
Willie Davis | Nick Hellyar
City of Houston, Council Member, At-large Position 3
Richard Cantu | Twila Carter
City of Houston, Council Member, At-large Position 4
Roy Morales | Letitia Plummer
City of Houston, Council Member, District D
Travis McGee | Carolyn Evans-Shabazz
City of Houston, Council Member, District G
Tony Buzbee | Mary Nan Huffman
City of Houston, Council Member, District H
Cynthia Reyes Revilla | Mario Castillo
City of Baytown, Council Member District No. 4
Kim Kosteck | James Franco
City of Bellaire, Mayor
Aaron Perry | Gus E. Pappas
Where to vote
If you're in Harris County, you can check locations and wait times on this map. Make sure 'early voting' is checked. Here's a PDF of the locations for early voting.
There are also polling locations in Ft. Bend County and Montgomery County.
Sample ballots
Harris County makes it easy to find your sample ballot. Just fill out a form with your name and address and they'll give you a ballot.
You can also see a sample ballot for Ft. Bend County.
Requirements to vote in Texas
State law requires you to register 30 days prior to the election in which you wish to vote. An applicant’s spouse, parent, or child (acting as an agent) may complete and sign a voter registration application as long as they are a registered voter or have applied for voter registration.
- You must be a United States citizen.
- You must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.
- Have not been declared totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction
- If convicted of a felony, you must have fully completed the sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole or supervision; or completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote.
How do I find out if I'm registered to vote?
- Anyone can check their registration in less than two minutes through the Texas Secretary of State. All you need is your name, county and date of birth. More voter registration information in Texas.
- Specifically, for Harris County, you can verify your voter registration information on HarrisVotes.org. Simply click on "Voter Registration," then select "Voter Registration Search." By inputting your name or address, you can find your voter registration record.
Voter ID requirements
If you've confirmed you are registered, but don't have or never received your voter registration card, here's what you need to know. Under Texas law, voters can use one of the seven acceptable forms of photo identification at the polls when voting in person.
- Texas driver's license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Texas election identification certificate issued by DPS
- Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
- Texas handgun license issued by DPS
- United States Military ID card with photo
- United States citizenship certificate with photo
- United States passport (book or card)
Voters who don't have and can't "reasonably obtain" one of the seven approved forms of photo ID may fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration (RID) (PDF) at the polls and present an alternative form of ID, such as a utility bill, bank statement, government check or a voter registration certificate.
Who can vote by mail in Texas?
The deadline to apply for a ballot by mail is Nov. 28.
If you plan to vote by mail, you must meet certain criteria to qualify.
- You are 65 years or older on Election Day
- You are sick or disabled
- You will be out of your county during the early voting period and on Election Day
- You are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
- You are confined in jail, but otherwise eligible
In 2022, thousands of applications to vote by mail were rejected for various reasons. The Harris County Elections Office said changes were later made to make the process easier and hopefully cut back on the number of rejected ballots.
While the county tried to simplify the process, the state made it more difficult, then-Director of Communications and Voter Outreach at Harris County Elections Leah Shah said in 2022.
“You’re now required to fill out a Texas ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. That was not previously a requirement," Shah explained.
Download and print the application for the mail ballot: English - Spanish - Vietnamese - Chinese
If you have other questions about the mail-in ballot process click here.
Tracking your mail ballot
Once you’ve sent your ballot by mail to your county’s early voting clerk, you can check the status of your mail-in ballot through the Ballot by Mail Tracker, available on the Texas Secretary of State’s My Voter Portal.
You must enter the following information:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Date of Birth
- The last 4 digits of your Social Security Number
- Your Driver’s License or Department of Public Safety Personal ID number
- Your residential address (must appear exactly as listed on your voter registration record. To look up the address listed on your voter registration record, use the ‘Am I Registered?’ tool)
- City
- ZIP code
How to correct a defect on your application for ballot by mail
If you received a notice (PDF) that your application for a mail ballot (ABBM) was rejected because you did not provide an identification number or the number included on your ABBM did not match one of the numbers associated with your voter registration record, you can correct the error online through the Texas Secretary of State's Ballot by Mail Tracker. When you log in to the Ballot by Mail Tracker, you will be prompted to enter your personal identification number(s). Once your personal identification number is validated, the ABBM you previously submitted will be processed.
To utilize the Ballot by Mail Tracker, you must enter:
- Your Texas Driver’s License Number or Texas Personal Identification Number, AND
- The last four digits of your social security number, AND
- Your residence address as listed in your voter registration record
If you received a notice that your ABBM was rejected for another reason, you may be able to correct the error by submitting a new ABBM (PDF) to your county's early voting clerk with the corrected information.
If you have specific questions about your registration or the status of your ABBM, you should contact your county.
