HOUSTON – Early voting will soon begin to fill the seat left open when a deceased state senator won re-election.
Mario Gallegos represented state Senate District 6. He died on Oct. 16, but it was too late to remove his name from the November general election ballot. He won re-election over Republican R.W. Bray.
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Gallegos said he wanted Carol Alvarado, who has served as a Houston City Council member and a Texas state representative, to fill his seat.
The following people are running for the seat:
- Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes, Independent
- Dorothy Olmos, Republican
- R.W. Bray, Republican
- Carol Alvarado, Democrat
- Joaquin Martinez, Democrat
- Sylvia R. Garcia, Democrat
- Susan Delgado, Democrat
- Maria Selva, Green Party
Early voting in-person begins on Thursday and lasts 12 days. There will be seven early-voting locations.
- Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston, first floor
- Holy Name Catholic Church, 1912 Marion
- Ripley House, 4410 Navigation
- HCCS Southeast College Learning Hub, 6815 Rustic, Building D
- Galena Park Library, 1500 Keene
- Hardy Senior Center, 11901 West Hardy
- Baytown Community Center, 2407 Market
Early voting times are:
- Jan. 9 – 11: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Jan. 14, 15: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Jan. 16 – 19: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Jan. 20: 1 to 6 p.m.
- Jan. 21, 22: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Eligible voters may also cast their ballot by mail.
"I strongly encourage voters who are physically disabled and cannot stand in line, or gravely ill to vote by mail. Voters 65 and over and voters that cannot get to the polls can also vote using a mail in ballot. The complete list of those eligible to vote by mail can be found at HarrisVotes.com," Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart said.
The special election will be held on Jan. 26.