CM Abbie Kamin
CITY OF HOUSTON’S APRIL 4, 2026 SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL THE VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER, DISTRICT C FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CURRENT TERM, ENDING JANUARY 1, 2028
The City of Houston, Texas will conduct a special election on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at which there will be elected the following officer of the City to fill an unexpired term ending January 1, 2028: Council Member, District C
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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to Texas Election Code Sec. 141.040:
The first day to file an application for a place on the ballot is on the effective date of the ordinance ordering the election, which is scheduled on the City Council’s agenda for Wednesday, December 17, 2026. Applications may not be filed before the election is ordered by City Council.
The last day to file for a place on the ballot is Monday, February 2, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.
The last day to file a declaration as a write-in candidate is Monday, February 2, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.
Applications for a place on the ballot may be filed in the Mayor’s Office, 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor, Houston, Texas or by email at Mayor@houstontx.gov. Please note that your application is not complete until you have submitted your filing fee in the form of cash, cashier’s check, or certified check, or a petition in lieu of a filing fee, in person to the Mayor’s Office. Filing Fees are nonrefundable.
A drawing to determine the order in which the names of candidates are to be printed on the ballot for the Special Election to Fill the Vacancy in the Office of Council Member, District C will be held Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 10 a.m., at City Hall Annex, City Council Chamber, 900 Bagby, Room P112, Houston, Texas.
This was necessitated when CM Kamin announced her candidacy for Harris County Attorney. As was the case with now-former CM Letitia Plummer, she will remain in office until a successor has been elected. Which will probably be in a runoff sometime after April 4, but one step at a time.
“Why April 4? Why not on the May 2 uniform election date?”, I hear you cry. And the answer is…I’m not fully sure. I can’t seem to find the relevant statute or city ordinance. I remember someone telling me that CM Kamin timed her announcement so that the special election wouldn’t be in January, but I have no more context than that. There is a law somewhere that mandates a minimum and maximum about of time between the creation of the vacancy and the special election to fill it. If someone is better at finding that than I have been, please point us to it in the comments.
The city page above lists Nick Hellyar as a candidate, which means that he has officially filed. Hellyar has run for Council before, both for C and for an At Large position. This Community Impact story notes a second candidate, Joseph Panzarella, a community organizer and president of the Fourth Ward Super Neighborhood, who has announced but not yet filed. I am aware of some other people, including at least one recognizable name, who are at least thinking about it, but I’ll hold off on naming anyone until they say something publicly themselves. I expect a fairly big field for this, and we have more than a month until the filing deadline. I will of course keep an eye on it.
Thank you for putting this out there, I’ve been wondering when this would be and your post appeared like a gift from above.
Happy new year!
This was in the agenda packet for the council session on December 16-17th:
The proposed ordinance orders a special election to be held on Saturday, April 4, 2026, to fill a vacancy in the office of Council Member, District C, resulting from the automatic resignation of Council Member Abbie Kamin on December 5, 2025, pursuant to Article XVI, section 65 of the Texas Constitution.
Article XI, section 11(c) of the Texas Constitution requires the City to hold a special election to fill the existing vacancy within 120 days after the date the vacancy occurred. Texas Election Code section 3.005(a) requires that an election ordered by an authority of a political subdivision be ordered no later than the 62nd day before the election day. Further, Election Code section 41.001(c) provides that an election may not be held within 30 days before or after the date of the general election for state and county officers, general primary election, or runoff primary election. To facilitate the Harris
County Clerk’s Office’s ability to conduct a special election on short notice and comply with all applicable law, the most reasonable date for the City to hold a special election to fill the vacancy is Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The City will conduct the election under an election services contract with Harris County
Candidates may file applications for a place on the ballot as soon as City Council orders the election to fill the vacancy.
Tex. Elec. Code § 201.054(d). The deadline for a candidate to file an application for a place on the ballot is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 2, 2026.