What you need to know
The need for new election equipment for the city follows the passage of Senate Bill 1750 in the 2023 Texas legislative session, which required all Harris County election duties to be transferred from the elections administrator to the county clerk's office. As a result, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth sent a memo Jan. 9 to all cities and entities the county previously contracted with to provide election administration services stating the county would not be able to support election needs for the May 4 election.
"The county clerk’s office estimates that the new guidelines would require establishing over 500 countywide polling places on election day for each countywide election. As a result, conducting elections on May 4 would present an equipment demand that would jeopardize the legal and successful administration of the March 5 primary elections and the May 28 primary runoffs, irrespective of whether the proposed May 4 election is subject to the same restrictions," the memo reads.
What's being done
In response to the Jan. 9 memo, Humble City Council members voted Feb. 8 to purchase new election equipment for the city to host the May 4 election in house. City Secretary Maria Jackson said the new voting equipment uses electronic tabulation methods and will allow voters to electronically input their votes similar to previous election equipment. Official testing for the equipment was held April 16 to ensure all voting boxes were functional.
Stay tuned
Voting will be held for the May 4 election at Humble City Hall—114 W. Higgins St., Humble—on the following dates and at the following times:
- Early voting: April 22-26, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; April 29-30, 10 a.m-7 p.m.
- Election day: May 4, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Election results will be available via the city's election portal. For more information about the candidates running for Humble City Council in the May 4 election, click here for Place 4 and click here for Place 5.
*Editor's Note: Story updated to show correct early voting times.
