Early voting has already begun for this year’s special election, but confusion over who can vote in the District 18 special election still exists. Many people believe the redrawn District 18 maps that Texas’s Governor Greg Abbott signed into law in August are in effect now. But that is not the case.
Those “new” District 18 maps won’t go into effect until the 2026 Election Season, which begins with the 2026 Primary on March 3, 2026, unless a court puts the new maps on hold. As for this special election, the “old” District 18 map is still in effect.
The story and fight around the redistricting of Texas congressional voter maps made national news as an example of efforts by Republicans in Texas to reduce Black and Latino voting power in a state where people of color make up the majority. Even after state Democratic lawmakers left the state to block votes on the redistricting bill, it eventually passed.
The new congressional redistricting maps, passed by the Texas Legislature during a special session in August, were signed into law by Abbott.
However, as stated, the new maps (and new districts) will not go into effect until the November 2026 election. But many voters aren’t getting the message.
What is adding to the confusion for many is that Houston has a special election for which early voting has already begun, and the official “Election Day” is November 4, 2025. For this special election, currently underway, the old maps remain in effect. However, because the new maps were announced as approved and signed into law in August, many Houston residents mistakenly believe that the new maps (and newly drawn voting districts) are in effect for the current (2025) election. They are not.
It was reported to the Defender that even many District 18 residents with a long history of active political engagement erroneously believe that the new maps are already in effect, thereby rendering longstanding District 18 residents ineligible to vote in the current special election.
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth sought to clarify and address confusion.
“The congressional district [18], as it stands today, remains the same and will remain the same if there is a runoff,” Hudspeth told the Defender.
Additionally, the implementation of those new maps for the 2026 midterm elections is on hold pending a federal court decision. Lawsuits filed by civil rights organizations argue that the new maps are racially discriminatory and unconstitutional, violating the Voting Rights Act and the equal protection rights of Black and Hispanic voters.
In other words, the new voting districts won’t go into effect in November 2026 if civil rights groups that have challenged the legitimacy of the new maps receive a court ruling in their favor.
To reiterate, the new maps are not currently in effect. This year’s special election featuring the District 18 race will utilize maps that have been in place since 2021.
