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Government and decisions in Houston
Organizers, advocates, and everyday Houstonians are building civic power across our city.
Learn something newGuides, stories, and explainersFind resourcesServices and programsGet involvedWays to take part
Resources
5
Events
20
Organizations
2,071
New to Government? Start here.
Advocacy SkillsHow to write testimony, contact your rep, build a coalition, and make your voice count in the rooms where decisions happen.Ballot MeasuresBond measures, propositions, and constitutional amendments. What's on the ballot and what it actually means.Budget AdvocacyThe city and county budget is where priorities become real. How to influence where the money goes.
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Areas to explore
Focus areas organize the resources, events, organizations, guides, and decisions in this pathway. Start with a major area, or search for something specific.
Advocacy SkillsHow to write testimony, contact your rep, build a coalition, and make your voice count in the rooms where decisions happen.
Government TransparencyEvery decision about your neighborhood starts in a meeting room. Government transparency means the doors stay open, the data stays public, and the money trail stays visible.
Election AccessPolling locations, early voting, mail-in ballots, and the barriers — real and manufactured — to casting a vote in Texas.
County GovernmentHarris County Commissioners Court, the county judge, and the government layer most people forget exists.
Criminal Justice ReformBail reform, sentencing, incarceration, and the organizations working to make the justice system more just.Civil RightsThe legal protections that make civic life possible — voting rights, equal protection, due process, free speech. When they erode, everything else gets harder.Legal AidFree and low-cost legal services for people who can't afford an attorney. Houston has more than most cities.
Public MeetingsCity council, commissioners court, school board, and the public meetings where decisions are made in the open.Show up this week
19Aug
Texas House State Affairs Committee Hearing — 8/19/2026Texas House of Representatives
19Aug
Houston City Council — Council Meeting (August 19, 2026)City of Houston
81%
Residents who say government should act to reduce economic inequality
Source: Understanding Houston (UH) + Kinder Institute (Rice University)
2,664,202 registered voters
Registered voters
Source: Harris County Office of County Administration
1,567,610 ballots cast
Ballots cast, 2024 general election
Source: Harris County Office of County Administration
59%
Voter turnout, 2024 general election
Source: Harris County Office of County Administration (official canvass: 1,567,610 of 2,664,202 registered)
17%
Voter turnout, November 2023 local election
Source: Harris County Clerk, as reported by ABC13 Houston
43%
Voter turnout, 2022 general election
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Harris County voter registration figures (1,102,418 of 2,568,463)
The bigger picture
Government doesn't exist in a vacuum. Everything is connected.
In their own words
The roads in Kashmere Gardens look like a different country than the rest of Houston.
Community reportsHouston
We have been promised road improvements for years. The money goes somewhere else every time.
Community reportsHouston
Open drainage ditches with no covers. A child fell in last year.
Community reportsHouston
Street flooding from backed-up storm drains happens weekly. Not monthly. Weekly.
Community reportsHouston
MLK Blvd has potholes from one end to the other. Compare it to any road in River Oaks.
Community reportsHouston
No sidewalks on half the residential streets. Kids walk in the road to school.
Community reportsHouston
Decide & do
Policies being decided
What city hall, the county, and the state are weighing on this — and how to weigh in.
01A resolution recognizing and honoring Cambodian veterans of the Khmer National Armed Forces for their sacrifices, their support of the Armed Forces of the United States, and their defense of freedom in Southeast Asia.policyU.S. Senate02Request for approval of payment of Billable Expenses for First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals Districts.policyHarris County Commissioners Court03Request for approval on strategic hiring exemptions for Position Control Numbers (PCNs) in non-exempt departments.policyHarris County Commissioners Court04Request that the County Judge execute an amendment to a Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Cooperative Purchasing Program agreement with Cloud Dock Solutions LLC in the additional amount of $1,800 for additional licenses for Responder360 subscription for the Fire Marshal's Office for the period of October 1, 2025 - September 30, 2026, Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement.policyHarris County Commissioners Court05To impose a cap on the price of items sold at the immigration detention facility commissary, and for other purposes.policyU.S. House of Representatives06Water Technology and Resilience Reauthorization ActpolicyU.S. House of Representatives07To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose an excise tax on certain institutions of higher education that allow male participation in female intercollegiate athletic programs or events.policyU.S. House of Representatives08Request that the County Judge execute an amendment to an agreement and a renewal option with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, LLC to add language permitting an adjustment of up to five percent (5%) of the annual contract price to account for an increase in premium costs for aircraft insurance for the Sheriff's Office for the period of September 17, 2026 - September 16, 2027, with no increase in the total contract amount (240146), Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible.policyHarris County Commissioners Court09Request for approval to extend a contract with Computacenter United States Inc. for storage network area and object storage solution(s), appliances and related items for the Toll Road Authority for the period of July 20, 2026 - October 20, 2026, with no increase in pricing (210165), Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible.policyHarris County Commissioners Court10Request for approval to sponsor the Pride in Business Celebration Luncheon on June 12, 2026, at a supporting sponsorship level of $2,500.policyHarris County Commissioners Court
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Services, programs, and benefits offered for this pathway.
program
Center for Public Policy | Hobby School of Public Affairs | University of Houston
UH's Center for Public Policy delivers nonpartisan research and data analysis for public officials, business leaders, and community members in Houston and Texas
Uh
program
Houston Public Library Awarded $200,000 Grant to Continue Citizenship Program
Free seven-week citizenship classes at Houston Public Library help adult learners prepare for the U.S. naturalization exam.
Houstonlibrary
program
Criminal Justice - Houston Peace & Justice Center
Advocacy group working to reform the criminal justice system by ending the death penalty, private prisons, police brutality, and more.
Houston Peace & Justice Center
program
#ListenFirst Coalition
A national network of 500+ organizations reducing polarization and building trust across differences — free to join, no obligations.
program
TSU HCDPR – Advancing Health Disparities & Policy Research
TSU's HUD-funded center researches housing policy, equity, and community development for underserved Texas communities.
Texas Southern University