It’s Election Day again. Harris County voters head to polls to decide primary runoffs

For the fifth time in seven months, it’s Election Day in Houston.

This time, voters are being asked to weigh in on Democratic and Republican primary runoffs in a handful of congressional races, state legislative seats, county positions and judicial posts across each party’s ballot in Harris County and across the state.

Democratic voters in Harris County will decide three hotly contested legislative races, including the state Senate District 15 runoff in which now-Senator Molly Cook hopes to capitalize on her May 4 victory over state Rep. Jarvis Johnson that won her the remaining seven months of Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s old Senate term. A victory in the heavily Democratic district that stretches across a northern swath of the city, would all but guarantee an election in November to a four year term.

House District 146 in south Houston pits state Rep. Shawn Thierry against labor organizer Lauren Ashley Simmons, who fell just shy of the 50 percent threshold to win the March 5 primary outright. The race has been defined by Thierry’s vote to ban gender-transitioning care for children.

Angie Thibodeaux and Charlene Ward Johson are competing for the soon-to-be vacant House District 139 seat in heavily Democratic northwest Houston. Jarvis Johnson currently holds the seat, but is not running for reelection because of his race for SD 15.

Incumbent Justice Jerry Zimmerer also faces a runoff against Velda Renita Faulkner for a seat on Texas’ 14th Court of Appeals Place 3 election.

On the Republican side, voters are being asked to choose a longshot nominee in the two deep blue seats held by Democrats: Congressional District 7 represented by Lizzie Fletcher and Congressional District 29 represented by Sylvia Garcia. Kenneth Omoruyi faces Caroline Kane in District 7, and Christian V. Garcia faces Alan Garza in District 29.

Through five days of early voting last week, 30,460 ballots had been cast, almost a quarter of them on Friday.

There will be 313 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.