To Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston City Councilmembers:

The Houston City Council District B runoff election is long overdue for our 200,000 residents. When runoff elections were held in December last year for City Council, one race was missing on the ballot – District B. Residents were told an election would be held at the beginning of the new year, but then it was delayed until March and then May. Last week, the First Court of Appeals announced plans to issue a final ruling on or shortly after August 6th.

We demand that Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston City Council members work expeditiously with the Harris County District Courts and Harris County Clerk’s office to determine the earliest possible date to hold the runoff election. #LetBVote  

Activists, community leaders, and organizations made our voices heard at the Harris County Commissioner’s Court meeting on July 14th and Houston City Council meeting on July 21st. We expressed our concerns and frustration at the lack of action by our elected officials to schedule a runoff election date to choose District B’s next Councilmember. Every Houstonian deserves representation on City Council, and we as residents across the greater Houston area demand that Mayor Sylvester Turner and City Council stop denying District B and its residents their right to vote. #LetBVote

District B residents have been in this adverse situation since November 2019, when the third-place finisher, Renee Jefferson Smith, contested the eligibility of second-place finisher, Cynthia K Bailey. The runoff was delayed due to Jefferson-Smith’s filing an appeal of the trial court’s denial of her contest with the appeals court. The runoff election was delayed for a second time when Jefferson Smith appealed Special Judge Grant Dorman’s February decision to order a runoff election in May 2020, leaving the District B election in limbo and the citizens of District B without elected representation.

During this pandemic, our city has faced incredible economic hardship and lost innumerable beloved family members and friends. This has been the case, even more so in District B where our population is 95% Black and Hispanic. As property owners and taxpayers, our families, friends, and neighbors deserve to be represented.

None of our City's residents should not be forgotten and left behind. Like any other District, we deserve to have a City Councilmember who can justly represent us and who we can hold accountable. We need your help to restore voters’ rights and schedule a runoff election date. Time is of the essence. We are tired of being denied! #LetBVote

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Resolution Text:

A RESOLUTION TO EXPEDITE THE SCHEDULING FOR HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT B’S RUNOFF ELECTION

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Whereas, every Houstonian is guaranteed single-member district representation on City Council and the ability to hold that elected official accountable for their actions through regular elections every four years,

Whereas, the 200,000 residents of Houston City Council District B have been denied their right to vote in a runoff election to choose their next City Councilmember for over eight months,

Whereas, the runoff election for District B was delayed when the third-place finisher, Renee Jefferson Smith, contested the eligibility of second-place finisher, Cynthia K Bailey, after the November 2019 election,

Whereas, the runoff election was delayed a second time when Jefferson Smith appealed Special Judge Grant Dorfman’s February decision to order a runoff election for May 2020,

Whereas, the First Court of Appeals plans to issue its ruling regarding the appeal on or shortly after August 6, 2020 and will likely remand the case to the Harris County District Court to schedule the runoff election,

Whereas, the Harris County District Court will likely look to the City Council and relevant Harris County offices to advise the Court on when to schedule the runoff election; NOW, THEREFORE,

 

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS:

Section 1. That the City Council confers with the relevant Harris County offices to determine the earliest possible date to hold the runoff election.

Section 2. That the City Council and relevant County offices provide an immediate response when the Harris County District Court seeks their advice as to when to schedule the runoff election.