Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s seat for the remainder of the term on Nov. 5, the same day as the general election.
The special election will select an official to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District for the two months remaining in the Congress after the election.
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The general election, on the other hand, will determine who represents the district for the full two-year term beginning in 2025. Houston-area voters will decide on both at the same time.
Early voting for both the special and general elections will begin concurrently on Oct. 21.
Jackson Lee died on July 19 while battling pancreatic cancer. She was 74. The Houston Democrat was one of the longest serving members of Texas’ congressional delegation, known as a staunch progressive.
Because Jackson Lee had won the Democratic primary in March, Democrats must select a new candidate to appear on the general election ballot. The 88 Democratic precinct chairs in Jackson Lee’s district will vote on the replacement nominee on Aug. 13.
Candidates for the full-term nomination include former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Meanwhile, any eligible Texan may file with the Secretary of State by Aug. 22 to place their name on the special election ballot — except for the full-term nominee Democrats select in August and Lana Centonze, the Republican running for the seat. Those candidates cannot appear on the same ballot twice.
Mike Doyle, chair of the Harris County Democrats, called the special election “an attempt to confuse and create havoc in voting in November.”
Abbott was not required to set a special election to fill the seat for two months, Doyle said, and doing so means that voters will see two ballots for the same office.
“This is gamesmanship — nothing more, nothing less,” he said.
Abbott’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.