As we know, there is a special election on May 2 in SD04, which happens to be the uniform election date in May for 2026. We are not accustomed to voting in May in Harris County, especially not in even-numbered years. I’m not talking about primary runoffs, which do generally occur in May, but the May version of the November uniform election date. (The exceptions for May primary runoffs are 2020 due to COVID, and 2012 due to redistricting litigation, which as we all know had the butterfly effect of helping Ted Cruz get elected to the Senate.)
May elections in general are for cities, ISDs, and community college districts. Some larger cities have migrated to November elections, as they have higher turnout. Austin did this a few years ago, and San Antonio is set to follow in 2029, in response to a bill passed last year that made it easier for municipalities to make that move. A number of smaller cities in Harris County, as well as several school and community college districts, still have their elections in May.
What makes it all a bit confusing is that you can’t easily tell from the election results archives on Harris Votes what all of these elections should be. I assume part of it is because it’s possible for these entities to run the elections themselves, which they can do instead of having the Harris County Clerk do it. I’ve been frustrated trying to find election results for place like Pasadena and Katy in the past because they have done them by themselves. It’s just that there’s an inconsistency in the data that makes it hard for me to say with confidence what exactly is going on.
It’s best just to show you what I mean. I went through the last ten years of election archives, out of sheer curiosity that began with the question of whether there would be anything else on the May 2 ballot this year and got a bit out of hand, as these things can do. Here are the elections I saw that happened in May of recent years. You tell me what it all means.
2025
Friendswood
Jersey Village
Nassau Bay
Pasadena
South Houston
West University Place
Lee College
San Jacinto CC
Clear Creek ISD
Humble ISD
Pasadena ISD
Tomball ISD
Waller ISD
2024
SD15 special election
HCAD
2023
Friendswood
Humble
Jersey Village
Nassau Bay
Pasadena
South Houston
West University Place
San Jacinto CC
Clear Creek ISD
Goose Creek ISD
Humble ISD
Pasadena ISD
2022
State props 1 and 2
HD147 special election
Friendswood
Humble
Jersey Village
La Porte
Nassau Bay
Pearland
Webster
HCC 2 special election
Huffman ISD
Humble ISD
Klein ISD
Pasadena ISD
Sheldon ISD
Waller ISD
2021
Humble
Missouri City
Nassau Bay
Pasadena
South Houston
Southside Place
Webster
West University Place
San Jacinto CC
Clear Creek ISD
Goose Creek ISD
Humble ISD
Pasadena ISD
2020
Nothing.
2019
Humble
Pasadena
South Houston
West University Place
Goose Creek ISD
Humble ISD
Pasadena ISD
2018
Houston City Council District K special election
2017
Humble
Pasadena
HISD recapture election version 2
Humble ISD
2016
HD139 special election
2015
Humble
Humble ISD
Klein ISD bond election
2014
SD04 special election (yes, another one for SD04)
2013
Lone Star College
Humble ISD
Tomball ISD
Then nothing for a few years except the Houston City Council special election in District H in 2009, and a slate of elections in Baytown and Pasadena plus the Houston City Council special election for At Large #3 in 2007. You can scroll back further if you want to.
Were it not for whatever was going on in 2022, I’d say that the pattern was every-two-year elections for a number of smaller cities and ISDs/CCDs, with them sometimes running them on their own and sometimes employing Harris County. There may also be some years in which all of their elections were uncontested, in which case state law allows you to skip the voting process since there’s nothing at stake. I didn’t look that closely. I have no idea why there were all these elections in May of 2022. If you live in one of these places and know what the deal was, please leave a comment and let us know.
The bottom line is this: We do not generally vote on the uniform election date in May in even numbered years. Most of us hardly ever vote in May on the uniform election date – looking back on this, I’ve voted in May in 2024, 2022, 2017, 2009, and 2007. This year there will be three elections in May – SD04 on the uniform date, City Council District C runoff probably on the 16th, and primary runoffs – but no one is eligible to vote in more than two and most of us will still just have the normal primary runoffs. It’s a little weird but it’s not that far outside the normal rhythm. We will get through this. And listen to my interview with SD04 special election candidate Ron Angeletti if you haven’t yet.
Additionally, it’s typical for the uniform May election date to be used by another tier of entities, the Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), the Water Control & Improvement Districts (WCIDs) and the Emergency Services Districts (ESDs) as well as several other categories with a small number of districts. The complete list of all entities and districts involved in elections in Harris County is viewable on the Harris County Tax Office website at this link. Select the “All voters by district” category for a drop-down list.
https://www.hctax.net/Voter/PrecinctData