Greater Houston voters will help decide who writes Texas laws when they head to the polls in November. The ballot includes races for the Texas House and Senate — the lawmakers who vote on the state budget and legislation affecting public schools, property taxes, public safety and other issues across the state.
The winners will represent their districts in Austin during the Legislature’s next regular session in 2027.
This guide covers legislative races in Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties. These are district elections. The contests on your local ballot depend on your registered address.
Republican, Democratic and Libertarian candidates are identified as R, D and L. Names below follow the Texas Secretary of State’s ballot certification, with capitalization adjusted for readability. A race with one candidate listed still appears on the ballot.
The Texas Senate has 31 members. Sixteen seats are up for regular election in 2026, including five districts that cover parts of this nine-county area. State senators serve four-year terms.
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot | Counties covered within this guide |
|---|---|---|
| District 3 | Trent Ashby (R); Bobby Tillman (D) | Liberty |
| District 4 | Brett W. Ligon (R); Ron C. Angeletti (D) | Harris, Montgomery, Galveston, Chambers |
| District 11 | Dennis Paul (R); Shannon Dicely (D) | Harris, Brazoria, Galveston |
| District 13 | Borris L. Miles (D) | Harris, Fort Bend |
| District 18 | Lois W. Kolkhorst (R); Erica Gillum (D) | Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Waller, Austin |
The county column identifies where each district intersects this guide’s coverage area. Some districts also extend into counties outside Greater Houston. Only voters within the district can vote in its race.
Borris L. Miles is the only named candidate certified for Senate District 13. The Secretary of State’s certified write-in list includes no additional candidates for the House or Senate districts covered in this guide.
All 150 Texas House seats are up for election in November. State representatives serve two-year terms. The nine counties in this guide contain all or parts of 37 House districts.
The tables below are organized by county. Districts that cross county lines appear in each affected county’s section; they are the same election.
Harris County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 126 | Stan Stanart (R); Stefanie Bord (D) |
| District 127 | Charles Cunningham (R); Michelle Williams (D) |
| District 128 | Tom Butler (R); Desiree Klaus (D) |
| District 129 | Scott Bowen (R); Albert Wittliff (D) |
| District 130 | Tom Oliverson (R); Brett Robinson (D) |
| District 131 | Scott Whitmarsh (R); Staci Childs (D) |
| District 132 | Mike Schofield (R); Sara McGee (D) |
| District 133 | Mano DeAyala (R); Josh Wallenstein (D) |
| District 134 | Mike Michna (R); Ann Johnson (D) |
| District 135 | Liz Ramos (R); Odus E. Evbagharu (D) |
| District 137 | Helen Zhou (R); Gene Wu (D) |
| District 138 | Lacey Hull (R); Tyler Smith (D) |
| District 139 | Kyle Harding (R); Charlene Ward Johnson (D) |
| District 140 | Laura Garcia DeLeon (R); Armando Lucio Walle (D) |
| District 141 | Julie Hunt (R); Senfronia Thompson (D) |
| District 142 | Heidi Hall (R); Harold V. Dutton, Jr. (D) |
| District 143 | Frank Salazar (R); Ana Hernandez (D) |
| District 144 | David Flores (R); Mary Ann Perez (D) |
| District 145 | Inocensia Moreno (R); Christina Morales (D) |
| District 146 | Alexandria Nicole Butler (R); Lauren Ashley Simmons (D) |
| District 147 | Theodis Daniel (R); Jolanda Jones (D) |
| District 148 | Amanda LaBrie (R); Penny Morales Shaw (D) |
| District 149 | Dave Bennett (R); Darlene Breaux (D) |
| District 150 | Valoree Swanson (R); A’Yonna Kellum (D) |
Fort Bend County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 26 | Matt Morgan (R); Elizabeth “Eliz” Markowitz (D) |
| District 27 | Max Alalibo (R); Ron Reynolds (D) |
| District 28 | Gary Gates (R); Sandy Ibanez (D) |
| District 76 | Linda Howell (R); Suleman Lalani (D) |
| District 85 | Dennis “Goose” Geesaman (R); Lawrence Brandyburg (D) |
District 85 also includes voters in Waller and Austin counties.
Montgomery County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 3 | Kristen Plaisance (R); Nicole King (D) |
| District 15 | Brad Bailey (R); Moniqua’ S. Scott (D); Jessi Cowart (L) |
| District 16 | Will Metcalf (R); Bobbie Clayton (D) |
| District 18 | Janis Holt (R); Valorie Barton (D) |
District 18 also includes voters in Liberty County.
Brazoria County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 25 | Cody Thane Vasut (R); Mike Meadors (D) |
| District 29 | Jeff Barry (R); Karen Reeder (D) |
Galveston County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 23 | Terri Leo Wilson (R); Cheryl Lynn Clark (D) |
| District 24 | Greg Bonnen (R); Frank N Carr (D) |
District 23 also includes voters in Chambers County.
Chambers County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 23 | Terri Leo Wilson (R); Cheryl Lynn Clark (D) |
District 23 also includes voters in Galveston County.
Liberty County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 18 | Janis Holt (R); Valorie Barton (D) |
District 18 also includes voters in Montgomery County.
Waller County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 85 | Dennis “Goose” Geesaman (R); Lawrence Brandyburg (D) |
District 85 also includes voters in Fort Bend and Austin counties.
Austin County
| District | Candidates on the printed ballot |
|---|---|
| District 85 | Dennis “Goose” Geesaman (R); Lawrence Brandyburg (D) |
District 85 also includes voters in Fort Bend and Waller counties.
Texas is also holding special elections on Nov. 3 for the unexpired terms in Senate District 22 and House District 93. Neither district is in Greater Houston, so those contests are outside this guide’s county-by-county listings. Eligible voters in those districts will have separate special-election contests in addition to the regular November election.
Your county’s sample ballot shows the legislative races you can vote in. A combined county sample ballot may list several House or Senate districts, but your individual ballot will include only the races tied to your registered address.
Use Texas Legislature Online’s Who Represents Me? tool to look up your districts, and check your county’s election website for your November sample ballot. Harris County’s ballot lookup includes voter-specific ballots; the Secretary of State lists county election websites.
Early voting runs Oct. 19-30 and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
