Over 20 Harris County vote centers still accepting voters after 7 p.m.

More than 20 Harris County vote centers continued processing ballots after the 7:00 p.m. poll-closing time, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said, adding that the count was current "as of 9:45 p.m." Hudspeth described the late voting as the result of long lines at those locations and reiterated the county's rule that people in line before closing must be allowed to vote.

Hudspeth reported the county had "so far, they have had approximately 213,000 votes cast on election day." The county provided a party breakdown showing more than 141,000 Democratic votes and more than 71,000 Republican votes among those election-day totals, figures that roughly align with the clerk's overall estimate.

State and county voting guidance governs why voting continued past 7:00 p.m. in multiple centers. "If you were in line before the clock struck 7, you are allowed to cast a vote," the voter guidance states, and the county also posts the procedural rule that "If you are in line before the poll closing time, you must be allowed to cast a ballot." Harris County maintains that any polling place can serve as a voting center and that voters may cast ballots at any county voting center; county election offices also offer curbside voting and allow voters with disabilities to request to move ahead in line. Voters seeking locations or wait-time information can contact the Harris County elections office at 713-755-6965.

The county's vote-center roster, generated February 17, 2026 and labeled "Vote centers subject to change," lists dozens of sites across Houston and surrounding areas. Sample entries on page 2 of the Appfiles list include the Harris County Attorney Conference Center, County Conference Center III/Meeting Room 109 at 1019 Congress Avenue; Acres Homes MultiService Center, Auditorium at 6719 West Montgomery Road; Alief ISD Administration Building, Room 750 at 4250 Cook Road; BakerRipley East Aldine Campus, Reunion Hall at 3000 Aldine Mail Route Road; and the Metropolitan MultiService Center, Gymnasium at 1475 West Gray Street. The Appfiles document is explicitly marked Page 2 of 3, and the county cautions centers are subject to change.

Hudspeth's 9:45 p.m. update did not identify which of the county's vote centers remained open past 7:00 p.m., and the clerk's office has not yet provided a site-by-site list of closing times for March 3. County officials will need to supply that list and clarify whether the "approximately 213,000" figure refers solely to in-person election-day ballots or includes other categories, to fully reconcile operational impacts on voters and to document where long lines affected closing-hour procedures.