On April 18th, Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m., a “Chinese Community Meeting” was hosted by outreach coordinator Shirley Wong and compliance vice director Du-Ha Kim Nguyen at the Alief Community Center in Harris County Elections Department. The meeting aimed to introduce the upcoming May unified and special elections, provide essential information for voters, and discuss the preparations needed for both online and in-person participation. The event attracted a significant number of attendees eager to learn more about the electoral process.
As explained by Shirley Wong, there will be two elections in May. The first set will take place on May 4th and includes the “Uniform Election” and “Special Election” concerning the Harris County Central Appraisal District (HCAD) and the State Senate District 15. The second election on May 28th is the Primary Run-off Election, which includes the Primary Election Run-off for the Democrat and Republican parties.
The Primary election, also known as the party primary or nominating primary, serves as a process for political parties to determine their candidates for the general election held every two years, ultimately leading to the selection of party nominees for the November election. This Primary election is considered an Open Primary, allowing individuals to vote without being affiliated with a particular party. However, if no candidates receive at least 50% plus one vote, a run-off election must be held. For instance, if you voted in the Republican primary in March and there is a run-off in May, you would need to vote in the Republican run-off. Similarly, even if you didn’t vote in the party primary in March, you can still participate in the run-off.
The “Special Election” arises due to the vacancy in the Texas State Senate District 15 seat, as Senator John Whitmire won the position of Houston mayor, which prohibits him from holding both roles simultaneously. Therefore, the special election aims to fill the remaining term until December 2024 in Whitmire’s vacated Senate seat.
Before casting your vote, it is crucial to confirm your voter registration status, ensure you are eligible to vote, and verify your address accuracy. Get to know your local representatives, such as congressional members, state senators, school district officials, by visiting HarrisVotes.com and reviewing the sample ballots.
For those eligible, the Ballot By Mail (BBM) option is available. To qualify for mail-in voting, you must meet specific criteria, such as being 65 or older on the election day, having a sickness or disability, expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after the election day, being absent from your county during the election day and early voting period, or being confined in jail or under non-voluntary civil commitment but still eligible to vote. Qualified individuals can request a mail-in ballot application by calling (713) 755-6965 or accessing Harrisvotes.com to print the application form, with submission deadlines set before April 23rd (for the May 28th election, application deadline is May 17th).
Finally, high school students are being recruited to work at the peripheral polling stations on election night. Interested student personnel should visit HarrisVotes.com or contact [email protected] for further details on how to participate.
By removing the attributed details, the article has been translated and expanded to provide a comprehensive overview of the upcoming elections and the necessary steps for voter engagement and participation.