Harris County Commissioners Court Holds Special Meeting to Canvass CD-18 Runoff

The Harris County Commissioners Court is holding a special meeting to conduct the official local canvass of the January 31, 2026 Special Runoff Election to Fill a Vacancy for United States Congressional District 18. The canvass is a statutory, local step in certifying vote totals that determine who will represent residents of CD-18 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The meeting convened at 10:00 a.m. in the Courtroom on the first floor of the Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston Street, Houston, and was also held virtually. The county published a notice of the special meeting on Feb. 4, 2026; the Legistar calendar lists the event as a Special Meeting for Feb. 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., with agenda and video fields listed in the calendar entry. The notice states that a quorum of the Court will be present at the location.

The county’s agenda spells out public-participation rules for this canvass. Members of the public who wish to speak regarding the local canvass must attend in person and submit an appearance request form at least one hour before the meeting begins; “A member of the public may speak before the Court for up to one (1) minute in total.” Members of the public may also email written comments to the Court at CommissionersCourt@hctx.net. The Office of County Administration notes printed agendas are posted in several county buildings and provides a phone number, 274-1222, for more information.

The agenda also stresses decorum and enforcement, reminding attendees that the Commissioners Court is a constitutional court with the authority “to issue Contempt of Court citations” and that “Profane, insulting, or threatening language, and racial, ethnic or gender slurs or epithets will not be tolerated.”

Public comment captured on the meeting video included tributes to local officials. One speaker, Maxine Layne Seels, told the court: "GOOD MORNING. I'M MAXINE LAYNE SEELS. JUDGE, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOU. IT GIVES ME AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO COME HERE TODAY. I'M A FORMER TRUSTEE, A LIFE- LONG TRUSTEE OF SERVING OVER 20- PLUS YEAR AT THE FOREST EXPECT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND A TRUSTEE AT THE HCC BOARD OF TRUSTEES." A representative of the Harris County LGBTQIA Commission, Thomas Lopez, said: "WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT OUR GRATITUDE TOWARDS CHRISTIAN MENIFEE. HE'S A TRAILBLAZER AND HIS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE FOR HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS AND THE LGBTQIA COMMUNITY HAS BEEN A GREAT BENEFACTOR OF HIS TIRELESS WORK."

The materials available for this report confirm the court met for the canvass but do not include vote totals, certification language, roll call votes, or the final outcome of the canvass. A fragment in a meeting summary references “County Clerk Teneshia Hud,” but that name is truncated in the supplied text and the clerk’s full remarks and any certification documents are not included in the excerpts provided here.

For residents tracking representation in CD-18, the canvass is the formal local step toward certification. To obtain final canvass results, certification documents, or archived meeting video and agenda packets, contact the Harris County Commissioners Court or the County Clerk’s elections office; the Office of County Administration lists 274-1222 as a contact number and the Court accepts written comments at CommissionersCourt@hctx.net. The next step for readers is to watch for the official certificate of canvass and county postings that will confirm the election winner and the date that certification becomes final.