Harris County voters head back to polls Saturday for appraisal district, state Senate races

It’s almost Election Day in the Houston area again.

Voters on Saturday are being asked to weigh in on three countywide Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors elections . Residents across a swath of west and north Houston in state Senate District 15 also are being asked to choose their state Senator to fill the remaining six months of Mayor John Whitmire’s old term.

Those are the only two elections in Harris County, but the surrounding area will see a host of municipal, school and other local races, including new appraisal board elections in Liberty, Montgomery, Brazoria and Fort Bend counties.

There will be 151 voting centers in Harris County. To find one near you,  visit harrisvotes.org . Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The appraisal district elections are new this year in Texas’ 50 largest counties, created as part of a sweeping legislative package aimed at lowering property taxes and increasing public input in the appraisal process. Little money or attention has gone toward the races for most of this year , and few voters appear to be interested.

Thirteen candidates are running for the three board places in Harris County. If no candidate reaches 50 percent of the vote, runoffs will be held June 15.

The Saturday elections are sandwiched between early March’s primary elections and the May 28 primary runoff elections, a crowded slate experts say is contributing to voter fatigue.

Saturday’s election will mark the second of three elections state Senate District 15 candidates and voters face this spring. The two candidates in Saturday’s election, state Rep. Jarvis Johnson and emergency room nurse Molly Cook, also will face off in the Democratic primary runoff.

Fewer than 1.5 percent of Harris County’s registered voters cast a ballot during the nine days of early voting, according to the Harris County Clerk’s office.