Two civil rights organizations, Houston Justice and Pure Justice, filed an emergency lawsuit on Sunday seeking to extend early voting in Harris County after winter weather forced the closure of polling locations during the final days of early voting in the special runoff election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District.
Early vote centers across Harris County were closed Sunday and Monday due to freezing temperatures, ice, and hazardous road conditions, cutting into the final days of early voting ahead of the Jan. 31 runoff election.
The lawsuit names Harris County, the Harris County Commissioners Court and its members, County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, and County Judge Lina Hidalgo in their official capacities. The plaintiffs are requesting a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief requiring the county to add early voting days to replace the time lost during the weather closures.
Hudspeth announced the shutdowns last week, citing safety concerns for voters and election workers. “The safety of employees, election workers, and voters is my top priority,” Hudspeth said at the time. The county has not responded to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
According to the filing, the closures eliminated seven hours of early voting on Sunday and 12 hours on Monday. The organizations argue that canceling two of the final early voting days violates the Texas Election Code, which requires extended and consecutive early voting hours in special elections. The lawsuit also cites federal law that allows courts to intervene when emergencies disrupt the voting process.
The groups are asking a judge to order Harris County to open all main and temporary early voting locations for 12 hours on Wednesday and at least seven hours on Thursday to replace the lost voting time.
Both candidates in the runoff election have publicly supported the request to extend early voting.
Christian Menefee said the loss of early voting days compounded earlier delays in scheduling the election. “Governor Abbott delayed for months before calling this election for the 18th Congressional District,” Menefee said in a statement. “Now a storm has knocked out two of the seven days of early voting. That’s not right. Folks in TX 18 have already gone nearly a year without a voice in Congress.”
Menefee added that state law prevents local officials from extending voting days without a court order.
Amanda Edwards also expressed support for adding early voting days following the weather closures. “They have been disenfranchised, made to be voiceless, for a period that is outrageous,” Edwards said in an interview with KPRC 2. “Due to inclement weather this would have shortened the period of time people could have an opportunity to cast a ballot, which is not the right outcome.”
The runoff election follows a special election held to fill the remainder of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s term following his death in March 2025. Turner, who previously served as Houston’s mayor, died weeks after being sworn into office, leaving the congressional seat vacant.
A multi-candidate special election held last year did not produce a majority winner, resulting in the runoff between Menefee and Edwards. Election Day is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31.
