Updated 8:45 a.m. Nov. 3
With all voting centers reporting, both Houston ISD board races covering parts of the Heights, River Oaks and Montrose are heading for runoff elections in December.
In the race for District I—which covers Northside/Northline, Independence Heights, Garden Oaks and Greater Heights, among other areas—the gap between incumbent Elizabeth Santos and candidate Janette Garza Lindner narrowed slightly as Election Day ballots were counted. Santos will finish with roughly 41.5% of the vote, or 3,919 votes to Lindner's 3,304.
Matias Kopinsky, the third candidate in the race, will finish with 23.51% of the votes, or 2,220 votes.
In the race for District VII—which covers Greater Uptown, Upper Kirby, Afton Oaks/River Oaks, Lazybrook/Timbergrove, Montrose and the Washington Corridor—Bridget Wade expanded her lead over incumbent Anne Sung as Election Day ballots were counted, but the two candidates will still finish with a difference of just over 630 votes.
Wade netted 40.97% of the vote, or 6,075 votes to Sung's 5,444 votes. Candidate Mac Walker has 19.56% of the vote, while Dwight Jefferson has 2.76 of the votes.
Of the three other races for HISD board seats up for election this November, two others—for District V and District VI—are also headed to runoffs. Incumbent Myrna Guidry will retain her seat in District IX. Visit our online Voter Guide for all local election results in your community.
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Posted 10:15 p.m. Nov. 2
With early votes counted, two races for board seats on the Houston ISD board of trustees in the Heights, River Oaks and Montrose areas appear to be headed to runoff elections in December.
Incumbent Elizabeth Santos is leading in the race for District I with 44.76% of the vote, or 1,828 votes. However, Janette Garza Lindner is following with 33.86% of the vote, or 1,383 votes. Matias Kopinsky has 873 votes after early voting.
In the race for District VII, Bridget Wade and incumbent Anne Sung are neck and neck, with 38.05% and 37.66% of the votes, respectively, separated by only 30 total votes.
The two other candidates running for that seat, Mac Walker and Dwight Jefferson, have 21.59% and 2.7% of the vote, respectively.
If no candidate exceeds 50% of the vote by the time all ballots are counted, the two candidates with the most votes will compete in a runoff election in December. Read Q&As with the candidates running for District I here and for District VII here.
HISD trustees are up for election every four years. A total of 9,784 ballots were cast in the race for District I in November 2017. Santos entered a runoff with candidate Gretchen Himsl after netting 44.8% of the vote in that race. She went on to win the runoff with 60.6% of the vote.
A total of 12,219 ballots were cast in the race for District VII in November 2017. Sung won a head-to-head race against John Luman with 61.6% of the vote.
The HISD election takes place as the school board faces a number of challenges, including making up for learning loss that was seen during the coronavirus pandemic. District officials released a plan in July on how they will spend more than $1 billion in federal dollars designed to help schools recover from the pandemic. The district also brought on Millard House II as its new superintendent this summer.
In addition to districts I and VII, several other HISD board seats were up for election this November, including districts V, VI and IX.
All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit our online Voter Guide for all local election results in your community.
