County guide. Updated Oct 20, 2026.
One of the longest ballots in the country. Early voting runs Oct 19 to Oct 30 at more than 70 centers, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct 25.
My ballot. Harris County, Texas. General election, Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026.
TX-9, Commissioners Court Precinct 2, inside the City of Houston. Candidates as the county’s sample ballot lists them. Your official sample ballot from HarrisVotes.com wins if they differ.
In the booth: Written notes and printed sample ballots may be brought in and used for reference. Wireless communication devices, phones included, may not be used inside the room where voting takes place, and no recording within 100 feet of a voting station. (Texas Secretary of State, news release, Feb 24, 2026; Texas Election Code §61.014; checked Oct 21, 2026.)
This sheet carries no recommendations. Printed from midterms.thefootnote.news/texas/harris-county/.
Showing TX-9, Precinct 2, inside Houston. 11 sections.
Congressional district
Commissioners Court precinct
Only Precincts 2 and 4 elect a commissioner this year.
Do you live inside the City of Houston?
Take it to the polls
A one-page list of your races and candidates, record only unless you add our picks, which print labeled as ours. Written notes and printed sample ballots may be brought in and used for reference.
Every Harris County ballot
Ken Paxton, Republican. James Talarico, Democrat. Ted Brown, Libertarian.
The full record and our take are on the Texas page.
Your district
Open seat, redrawn in 2025. Trump won the new lines by about 20 points in 2024. Cook Political Report rates it Likely Republican.
The record
House members write federal law, control federal spending and can impeach federal officials. Two-year term. The 2025 map moved this seat to east Harris County and the Houston Ship Channel; fewer than 3 percent of its voters were in the old 9th District.
Money through the last reports: Mealer about $2 million, Gutierrez about $55,000. Candidates and parties: Harris County Clerk, countywide sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026 (HarrisVotes.com), checked Oct 21. Background: Texas Tribune, Sept 30. Courier of Montgomery County.
Our take on this is still being written.
Every Harris County ballot
Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and railroad commissioner.
The record and our take for each are on the Texas page.
If you live in SBOE District 6
Local reporting calls it a toss-up. Republicans hold 10 of the board’s 15 seats.
The record
The board sets what Texas public schools teach, approves instructional materials and oversees the Permanent School Fund. Democrats would need to flip three seats to take control.
Candidates and parties: Harris County Clerk, countywide sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026 (HarrisVotes.com), checked Oct 21. Background: Courier of Montgomery County.
Our take on this is still being written.
Depends on your address
Your state representative and, in some districts, your state senator are on the ballot. Write-ups in production.
Every Harris County ballot
Open seat. Lina Hidalgo is not running.
The record
Despite the title, the county judge does not hear cases. In Harris County the job is the county’s chief executive: presiding over the five-member Commissioners Court, which sets the county budget, and directing emergency management through floods and hurricanes. Four-year term.
Candidates and parties: Harris County Clerk, countywide sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026 (HarrisVotes.com), checked Oct 21. Background: Click2Houston, Oct 19. Courier of Montgomery County.
Our take on this is still being written.
Precinct 2 voters
Incumbent Adrian Garcia is seeking another term.
The record
Commissioners vote on the county budget, flood control, roads, parks and the jail, and each runs services in their own precinct. Four-year term.
Candidates and parties: Harris County Clerk, countywide sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026 (HarrisVotes.com), checked Oct 21. Background: Courier of Montgomery County.
Our take on this is still being written.
Every Harris County ballot
A special race to fill the rest of the current term.
The record
The county’s civil lawyer. The county attorney defends the county in court, sues on its behalf, and handles protective orders, juvenile cases and mental health commitments.
Candidates and parties: Harris County Clerk, countywide sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026 (HarrisVotes.com), checked Oct 21. Background: Courier of Montgomery County.
Our take on this is still being written.
Every Harris County ballot
County clerk, district clerk and county treasurer are also on the ballot. Write-ups in production.
Every Harris County ballot
The record
Harris County voters elect dozens of judges: state district courts, county civil and criminal courts, probate courts, and the 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals. These judges set bail, decide evictions and custody cases, and hear most criminal cases in the county.
Race-by-race write-ups are in production.
City of Houston voters. Charter amendment.
Marijuana enforcement and no-knock warrants. Proposed by Ground Game Texas.
The record
One vote covers both parts. The ballot asks: “Shall the City Charter of the City of Houston be amended to 1) require the Houston Police Department to make enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest law-enforcement priority with related reporting requirements and 2) prohibit Houston police officers from requesting or executing ‘no-knock’ search warrants?” The choices print as For and Against. It would not legalize marijuana or change state law, and officers would keep discretion to make arrests.
Nothing in the city charter changes. Houston police keep their current enforcement priorities and warrant practices.
Ballot language: Harris County Clerk, countywide sample ballot for Nov 3, 2026 (HarrisVotes.com), checked Oct 21. Background: Fox 26 Houston, explainer on Proposition A.
Our take on this is still being written.
Your precinct's sample ballot, wait times and voting centers are at HarrisVotes.com. If it ever differs from this page, it wins.