Election Day 2023 updates: What are we voting for?

HOUSTON — Polls closed at 7 p.m. across Texas after voters cast their ballots for state and local races. Anyone already in line by 7 p.m. could still vote.

Here in Houston, all eyes are on the mayoral race where 17 candidates and one write-in fought to lead the nation’s fourth largest city. Issues like crime, the crumbling infrastructure and potential budget shortfalls will challenge whoever voters choose to replace outgoing Mayor Sylvester Turner.

In early voting results, John Whitmire is leading a crowded field with 44% of the vote. Sheila Jackson Lee is next with 36%. Gilbert Garcia is a distant third with 7%. A candidate must have more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. 

In the race for city controller, Chris Hollins has 48%, compared to 36% for Orlando Sanchez.

A lot of people are also watching the District G city council race where well-known attorney Tony Buzbee challenged incumbent Mary Nan Huffman. In early results, Huffman leads Buzbee 51% to 41%.

Texas voters are deciding on 14 statewide propositions. 

The closely watched Prop 4, which could lower your property taxes, is passing with 84% of Texans voting yes. It would raise the homestead exemption for Texas homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000.

What was your experience like voting at the polls? Did it go smoothly or did you run into issues? We want to hear from you. Text us at 713-526-1111.

8:14 P.M. The first batch of ballots arrives at election central at NRG Arena. 

7:50 P.M. –  Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said some polling sites are still processing votes. Unlike last year, she said no vote centers ran out of paper.

7:20 P.M. – Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said 210,954 people had voted in person Tuesday. With early voting results, the total is 435,575.

6:13 P.M. – NRG Park is election headquarters for Harris Votes. Results from 701 vote centers will be transmitted in real time from five other “rally sites” located across the county. 

5:03 P.M. – As of 5 p.m., Harris County reported more than 161,000 people had voted in person on Election Day. 

4:41 P.M. – KHOU 11 anchor Marcelino Benito is covering Sheila Jackson Lee’s watch party tonight at the Ballroom at Bayou Place. 

4:28 P.M. – Both Lee and Whitmire spent the day greeting voters at polling places across Houston. 

3:02 P.M. – KHOU 11’s Jason Miles is covering the John Whitmire election night party at the Marriott Marquis. He said the longtime state lawmaker is feeling confident. 

2:09 P.M. – As of 2 p.m., Harris County reported more than 103,000 people had cast votes in person on Election Day. 

1:10 P.M. – Voters in Fort Bend County are deciding on a couple of bonds for mobility and parks spending. 

In Fort Bend ISD, they’ll vote on Prop A which would raise teacher pay and provide money to hire armed security officers for elementary schools. 

11:48 A.M. – Houston mayoral candidate Sheila Jackson Lee greeted supporters and voters at the West Gray voting site. Polling shows Jackson Lee as among the leading candidates, along with rival John Whitmire.

10 A.M. – Officials in Harris County gave an update on polling for Election Day at NRG Park.

9:58 A.M. – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo spoke with reporters ahead of voting at the West Gray Street location. She encouraged registered voters to cast their ballot before polls close at 7 p.m. Hidalgo said she’s confident in an accurate vote count today by election officials.

9:02 A.M. – Houston City Councilwoman Mary Nan Huffman said she is getting reports of voting machines not working at various locations across District G.

7 A.M. – The polls have now opened.

Harris County officials said they have a huge team of people working through Election Day-related problems coming in.

The Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said a lot of the issues that popped up this morning have been resolved by using a system called Service Now.

As of this morning, more than 1,200 total call tickets regarding Election Day concerns have been made in Harris County. Sixteen percent of those are from voters and 84 percent of calls came from voting centers made by judges and staff.

Most of their calls and tickets have been to their voting equipment, including machines being down at Frostwood Elementary.

KHOU 11 News also got a report of ballots allowing people to vote for the Houston mayor race, but not local school district trustees.

Hudspeth said techs are assigned to each voting center with the election hotline available to call.