Texas governor calls November election for vacant US House seat as Democrats criticize timing
Source: AP
Updated 7:20 PM EDT, April 7, 2025
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that a special election to fill the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s seat won’t be held until November and defended the timing by renewing criticism of past Houston-area elections.
Abbott’s announcement that the special election will be on Nov. 4 came as Democrats have accused the governor of delaying the election after Turner’s March 5 death to help Republicans maintain their razor-thin margin in the U.S. House. Abbott has the sole authority to call for a special election. The governor said the wait “will give Harris County sufficient time to prepare for such an important election.”
Harris County, where Houston is located, has faced scrutiny in recent years because of problems that have included long lines, poll worker and ballot shortages and ballots that were not counted the day of the election. “Safe and secure elections are critical to the foundation of our state,” Abbott said in a news release. “Forcing Harris County to rush this special election on weeks’ notice would harm the interests of voters.”
With 5 million residents, most of whom are Latino or Black, the county is the most populous in Texas and the third-most populous in the U.S.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/sylvester-turner-congress-election-democrats-greg-abbott-4085020b41e756af55545f894fd10f8a
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