Harris County election workers worked through last weekend to ensure that all presiding judges working the 701 Election Day vote centers received their voting equipment.Early voting for the November 2023 election saw 224,400 voters in Harris County flocking to the polls to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
In a press conference held last week, County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said Harris County election officials sent out about 20,000 mail-in ballots to voters who were either older than 65, have a disability or met other eligibility requirements to vote by mail. “I’ve talked to some poll workers who said they felt like people are coming in and voting for mayor and walking out without voting for other races or any of the constitutional amendments,” she said.
Well-known attorney Buzbee previously ran for mayor in 2019 and more recently successfully represented Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during the Texas Senate's impeachment trial against Paxton. One proposition would give council members more authority by making it easier for them to put an item on the agenda. The other would increase the city’s representation relative to Houston’s population on the Houston-Galveston Area Council – the board responsible for distributing federal funds to ongoing regional projects.
However, Stein added that the 14 constitutional amendments are likely getting more overall voter support because these measures either put money in the people's pockets or place taxpayers' dollars toward state expenditures. “Whether the polling places have ballots, that’ll be the true test,” she said. “And then also, the reporting because this new system we’re using is very hard to tally votes, and the votes come out pretty late.”
They will also decide whether to approve a new tax rate proposal for the school district to boost teacher salaries, increase teacher aid and bus driver pay and add security officers at every elementary school.