Houston Runoff Elections Are Now Underway

The 2019 Houston municipal runoff elections are now underway. 

Early voting for the December 14 runoffs occurs November 27, and December 2 through 10. Those who are registered can vote at any of the more than 700 neighborhood polling locations on election days between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or vote by mail prior to 7 p.m. on December 14. 

The regular November 5 elections left the mayor’s chair and several city council seats in runoffs. While this is a concern to many LGBTQ Houston voters, OutSmart has compiled a list of resources that reveal where candidates stand on the issues. 

1. The Caucus Endorsements 

The Houston GLBT Political Caucus, a group founded in 1975 to put LGBTQ-friendly politicians in office, declared support for 16 candidates in the 2019 runoff elections. A printable version of The Caucus card is available here, or you can request a card to be mailed to your address here. 

2. Pride Forums 

Pride Forum, a coalition of several activist organizations, has conducted a series of town halls to hold politicians accountable on their pledges to LGBTQ Houstonians. Each of the Pride Forums were broadcast live by the queer publication Spectrum South. Learn where candidates from Houston City Council District H and At Large 1–5 stand on LGBTQ issues here. Don’t forget to check out the City Council District C Pride Forum, featuring runoff candidates Abbie Kamin and Shelley Kennedy, and the Mayoral Pride Forum, featuring runoff candidates Sylvester Turner and Tony Buzzbee. 

3. Out for Change 

OutSmart’s October issue featured stories on six openly LGBTQ candidates running for Houston City Council positions in 2019. Two of those candidates, Isabel Longoria and Shelley Kennedy, advanced to the December 15 runoff elections. Read our article on Longoria here, and read our article on Kennedy here.

For more information on where to vote, visit harris-votes-polling-map.herokuapp.com/.