Harris County Elections: November 4, 2025 General and Special Elections

Harris County’s general and special elections on November 4, 2025, feature a special election for U.S. House District 18, a Houston City Council at-large seat, school board races, and 17 statewide constitutional amendments. With 2.6 million registered voters, early voting from October 20 to October 31 saw over 212,000 ballots cast—approximately 8% turnout, including more than 204,000 in-person votes and over 10,000 by mail. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any of 600 vote centers countywide.

The elections follow the 2024 cycle, where Kamala Harris won Harris County by 5.5 percentage points, a narrower margin than Joe Biden’s 13-point victory in 2020. Republicans flipped 10 judicial seats that year. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth oversees the process after the state dismantled the elections administrator role in 2023.

U.S. House District 18 Special Election

The special election fills the vacancy left by the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D) on March 5, 2025. Turner had won the seat in a November 2024 special election following Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s death in July 2024. The district, covering central Houston including the Heights, Third Ward, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is heavily Democratic—Kamala Harris carried it by 40 points in 2024.

Sixteen candidates appear on the ballot in a nonpartisan field. No candidate is expected to reach a majority, triggering a December runoff between the top two. A University of Houston Hobby School poll (October 7-11, 2025) showed:

• Christian Menefee (Democrat) – 27%

• Amanda Edwards (Democrat) – 23%

• Jolanda Jones (Democrat) – 15%

• Carmen Maria Montiel (Republican) – 6%

• George Foreman IV (Independent) – 4%

• Isaiah R. Martin (Democrat) – 4%

• Carter Page (Republican) – 3%

• Theodis Daniel (Republican) – 1%

• Other candidates (7) – 2% total

• Undecided – 13%

Full candidate list (ballot order):

• Ollie J. Knox (Republican)

• Christian D. Menefee (Democrat)

• Amanda Edwards (Democrat)

• Jolanda Jones (Democrat)

• Carmen Maria Montiel (Republican)

• George Foreman IV (Independent)

• Isaiah R. Martin (Democrat)

• Carter Page (Republican)

• Theodis Daniel (Republican)

• Erica Lee Carter (Democrat)

• Robert Slater (Democrat)

• Ronald Whitfield (Republican)

• Letitia “Tish” Salinas (Democrat)

• Colin Allred (Democrat)

• Al Green (Democrat)

• Jarvis Johnson (Green Party)

Endorsements include Erica Lee Carter backing Menefee. The winner serves until January 2027.

Houston City Council At-Large Position 4 Special Election

This special election fills the vacancy created by Letitia Plummer’s resignation to run for Harris County judge. The seat covers the citywide at-large district and serves until January 2028.

Candidates (nonpartisan):

• J. Brad Batteau – Real estate professional; previously ran for At-Large 5

• Letitia “Tish” Salinas – Civil rights attorney; partner at Susman Godfrey LLP; defended county elections

• Additional challengers include candidates focused on city spending, infrastructure, and permitting (per local filings)

A runoff is likely if no candidate exceeds 50%.

School Board Races

Several Harris County school districts hold trustee elections. Key contested races:

Cy-Fair ISD (Positions 2, 3, 5, 6, 7) – Serves 116,000 students. Conservative majority (6-1) faces challenges.

• Position 2:

• Amy Guilmart – Former educator, parent advocate

• James Edwards Jr. – U.S. Army veteran, retired ExxonMobil, former trustee

• Position 3:

• Julie Hinaman – Incumbent

• Jacob Cisneros – Community organizer

• Position 5:

• Holly Jones – Parent advocate

• Scott H. Henry – Business leader

• Position 6:

• Carlos Villarreal – Incumbent

• Laura Harris – Educator

• Position 7:

• Danny Norris – Incumbent, board president

• Erica Camarena – Partner engagement director

• Tom Shanks – Vice president challenger

Priorities: Library programs, teacher collaboration, budget amid enrollment growth.

Houston ISD (HISD) (Districts 1, 3, 5, 7) – Under state control; elections for seats with potential voting power restoration.

• District 1:

• Susan “Sue” Singleton – Incumbent

• Daniel “Danny” Williams – Community leader

• District 3:

• Angela L. Rodriguez – Incumbent

• Leticia “Letty” Flores Richart – Lawyer, former county compliance director

• District 5:

• Diane S. Riley – Incumbent

• Sarah “Sarah” Jarvis – Educator

• District 7:

• Anne Sung – Incumbent

• Michelle Spencer – Policy advisor, adjunct professor, Air Force veteran

Focus: Enrollment boost, budget deficit.

Klein ISD (Positions 2, 3) – Serves 52,000 students.

• Position 2:

• Danny Wooldridge – Incumbent, sales manager

• John Flores – Business owner

• Position 3:

• Stacy Gutter – Incumbent

• Kristen Richart – Lawyer

Houston Community College (HCC) Board (Districts 2, 9) – Enrollment at 95,000.

• District 2:

• Jackie Anderson Gunter – Former educator, prior candidate

• District 9:

• Carolyn Evans-Shabazz – Incumbent

• Rhonda Skillern-Jones – Community advocate

Other districts (e.g., Spring Branch ISD Position 7: Christina R. Edwards) have unopposed or minor races.

Texas Constitutional Amendments: 17 Propositions

All Texas voters consider these amendments, requiring a simple majority. The Texas Legislature referred them in 2025—the most since 2003. Full texts are posted by county clerks.

• Proposition 1 (SJR 59): Creates permanent funds for Texas State Technical College infrastructure and workforce education. Dedicates $850 million from general revenue; supports capital needs without taxing authority.

• Proposition 2 (SJR 18): Prohibits tax on realized or unrealized capital gains for individuals, families, estates, trusts. Codifies existing ban; prevents future imposition.

• Proposition 3 (SJR 5): Requires denial of bail for certain felony offenses (e.g., violent or sexual crimes). Amends bail rights; targets repeat offenders.

• Proposition 4 (HJR 7): Dedicates portion of sales/use tax revenue to Texas Water Fund. Allocates $1 billion annually for infrastructure; $20 billion over 20 years.

• Proposition 5 (HJR 99): Exempts retail animal feed from property taxes. Reduces costs for livestock owners.

• Proposition 6: Prohibits taxing securities transactions or new financial trade taxes. Protects markets.

• Proposition 7: Extends property tax exemptions to surviving spouses of veterans who died in service. Builds on existing benefits.

• Proposition 8: Bans inheritance or estate tax (Texas currently has none). Constitutional prohibition.

• Proposition 9: Increases homestead exemption for school taxes from $100,000 to $150,000. Average savings ~$500/year.

• Proposition 10: Allows one-time property tax relief for disaster-damaged homes. Exempts value of destroyed portions.

• Proposition 11: Increases elderly/disabled homestead exemption from $10,000 to $60,000 for school taxes. Combined with Prop 9: up to $200,000 total exemption; ~$907 savings.

• Proposition 12: Authorizes $10 billion in bonds for water and flood infrastructure. Critical for Harris County flooding.

• Proposition 13: Allocates broadband expansion bonds for rural counties. Improves access.

• Proposition 14: Establishes Dementia Prevention and Research Institute with $3 billion fund. Funds research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.

• Proposition 15: Affirms parents’ rights to direct child’s education and upbringing. Adds constitutional language.

• Proposition 16: Requires proof of citizenship for voter registration. Codifies existing law; critics call symbolic.

• Proposition 17: Clarifies voter ID requirements and restates election laws. Maintains current standards.

Bipartisan support expected for fiscal and water measures; voting-related propositions (15–17) may divide.

Additional Local Contests

• Utility Districts:

• Harris County MUD No. 165 – Bonds for roads and operations

• Harris-Fort Bend MUD No. 3 – Bonds for water and sewer

• Other:

• St. George Place MUD Prop B – Property tax for facilities

Voting Information

• Locations: HarrisVotes.com interactive map; no precinct assignment needed

• ID: One of seven forms (e.g., Texas driver’s license, election ID certificate)

• Mail Ballots: Postmarked by 7 p.m. November 4; received by November 5 if postmarked

• Outreach: Multilingual support; registration deadline was October 6

Results begin after 7 p.m.; certification by November 26. For updates: Harris Votes portal or Houston Public Media. As Clerk Hudspeth states, “Your vote matters.”