HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Texans are heading down the final stretch as voters go to the polls to decide head-to-head matchups for November.
“We feel really good about tomorrow. We know that this is another extension of the beginning of the fight heading into November,” Harris County Democrats Party Chair Odus Evbagharu said.
There will be a lot of eyes on Harris County, both for local election results as well as to see if things will run smoothly Tuesday.
“We’re very excited going into this primary and into November. Voters are seeing that the Biden administration is failing the average working American,” Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi said.
Democrats and Republicans are battle-ready for the primary runoff and are painting the picture for their voters.
“Yes, these are separate elections, but it starts now," Evbagharu said. "You know the Republican attacks on human rights continue to escalate across the board."
“Inflation is through the roof. People can’t afford gas, they can’t find baby formula to feed the kids and Republican voters are more energized than we’ve ever been,” Rinaldi said.
With concerns surrounding Harris County’s previous operations of elections, the county said it is prepared.
"Harris County is ready for the Primary Runoff Election on Tuesday, May 24. Supply handout to over 500 presiding judges over the weekend went smoothly, and the last routes delivered the larger items, such as multiple voting devices, extension cords, signage, parking cones for curbside voting, etc. today," Nadia Hakim, with the Harris County Election's Administrator's Office, said in a statement to KHOU 11 News.
“Whether we’re Democrats, Republicans, Independents ... we all should be confident in our electoral process. The Republicans have done a great job to sow distrust in that process but we know better,” Evbagharu said.
While Democrats are confident in Tuesday's election, some Republican leaders are still pushing for new leadership in Harris County.
“I’m not confident at all in the elections administrator in Harris County to have a seamless election at any time,” Rinaldi said.
"Voter turnout during last week’s early voting was phenomenal as we saw a massive jump from our 2018 numbers. The numbers are comparable to the turnout of the actual Primary Election and even the 2020 Primary Runoff Election, which had a presidential race on the ballots. We look forward to keeping the momentum and seeing Harris County come out tomorrow, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at any of our 260 polling locations, which is the most polling locations Harris County has seen in this type of election. Reminder: Any voter in line before 7 p.m. will be able to vote," Hakim said.
Voters will have to check in according to the political party they voted with on March 1. If they did not cast a ballot on March 1, then they can choose whichever party’s ballot to vote on during this runoff.
Voters are encouraged to visit HarrisVotes.com to view their sample ballots and see which runoff contests they’re eligible to vote for. They can also check the website for the polling locations nearest them and regularly-updated wait times.