Come Hell or High Water: Houston Poll Workers Show Up for 2026
Nine years ago, Hurricane Harvey tested Houston's resilience. Nearly 30,000 people didn't wait to be rescued. They rescued each other. Neighbors with boats. Strangers with kayaks. Ordinary people showing up.
That same instinct is at work during elections.
Last month, 70 Houstonians gathered for "Come Hell or High Water: Voting in the Wake of Disasters and Disruptions," an event marking Harvey's anniversary and asking a critical question: What does that same commitment to each other look like when the challenge is protecting the integrity of an election?
Our panel included Chris Hollins, the former Harris County Clerk who ran the 2020 election through unprecedented disruption, alongside election officials and Rice University experts who've administered elections through hurricanes, pandemics, and crises that would break most systems.
The answer? Houston shows up. Poll workers, election officials, and citizens who understand that voting infrastructure—like any infrastructure—only holds if enough people decide to hold it up.
Read the full story in the Houston Chronicle
Learn how you can support elections in Greater Houston at vetthevote.org.