District H Vote News from Elections Office

HOUSTON –Friday, June 12, 2009 – The last opportunity for eligible registered voters to vote in the City of Houston Run-Off Election in District H between Ed Gonzalez and Maverick Welsh is this Saturday, June 13th.  The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The winner of the runoff election will fill the City of Houston Council seat which was vacated by Adrian Garcia after becoming Harris County Sheriff.

To participate in the District H Runoff Election a person must be a registered voter in District H or must have registered to vote in District H by May 14th.  Eligible voters may use one of the following credentials for voting purposes: a voter registration card; a form of identification containing the person’s photograph that establishes the person’s identity; a birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes the person’s identity; United States citizenship papers; a United States passport; official mail addressed to the person by name from a governmental entity; a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter; or any other form of identification prescribed by the Secretary of State (Texas Election Code Section 63.0101).

The early voting daily totals for the June 13th District H Runoff Election indicate that the voter participation rate is 19% higher than early voting for the May 9th election. A total of 1,462 persons were processed for voting in-person during the early voting period for the June 13th runoff election, compared to 1,258 during the same period for the May 9th election. Also, as of Thursday, June 11th, 763 persons had returned a mail ballot for the runoff election, compared to 612 for the entire May 9th election. Overall, only 4,186 (4.46%) of the 93,883 registered voters in District H participated in the May 9th election.

A runoff election is held when no candidate received the majority of the votes in a contest that had multiple candidates.

For information regarding voting locations for the City of Houston Runoff Election in District H voters may visit www.harrisvotes.com or call theCounty Clerk’s automated phone line, 713.755.6965.