Political Influence, Representation, and Engagement Among Asian Americans in the Houston Area
Residents want Asian Americans’ voices more fully incorporated into public decision-making, and see a need for greater political engagement and representation for that to happen.
How Voter Identity and Intention Shaped Who Voted in the 2024 General Election in Harris County
Voter identity and intention were the primary predictors of voter turnout in Harris County during the 2024 presidential election.
Concern for Democracy and the U.S. Political System Among Houston-Area Residents
Most Houston residents value democracy, yet widespread dissatisfaction with the U.S. political system leaves many local residents wanting societal change.
Voting Intention and Election Concerns in Advance of the 2024 U.S. General Election
This study explores people’s intention to vote in the 2024 U.S. general election.
Election 2023: Overview of Residents’ Policy Preferences
This study surveyed Houston residents about their views on a variety of policy and budgetary solutions related to crime, infrastructure and housing challenges.
Election 2023: Priorities and Concerns of Houston Residents
This report identifies the city's current challenges and opportunities and what issues residents would like to see the next mayor address.
Data-Driven Campaign Design and Evaluation for Census 2020: Get Out the Count (GOTC) in Houston
This document evaluates efforts undertaken by Houston in Action and partners across Harris County, Texasduring the 2020 “Say Yes to the Census” campaign. The primary goal is to understand whether efforts to contact individuals in Harris County and inform them about the 2020 Census had an impact on the 2020 Census response rates.
Commissioned by Houston Endowment, this study examines the state of civic health in Greater Houston (the Houston MSA) to better understand civic attitudes and behaviors as well as political participation.
The State of Local Democracy in Houston and Harris County
This report looks at local elections in Houston and Harris County.
Who Runs for Mayor in America?
This report looks at mayoral elections in California, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota and Virginia.
Mayoral Elections in Indiana: 2003-2015
The report examines a host of indicators regarding mayoral elections in Indiana, including mayoral races in 474 general elections and 706 primary elections in more than 120 Indiana cities.
Mayoral Elections in Kentucky: 2010-2014
This report looks at local elections in Kentucky, including how often mayoral races go unopposed or feature an incumbent.
Mayoral Elections in California: 1995-2014
This report examines local elections in California, including the impact of off-cycle elections on turnout.
What’s Texas State Technical College? A look at the school behind Proposition 1 on voters’ ballots.
For most Texans, the first vote they’ll cast this election cycle revolves around a little-known school with big plans for serving the state’s workforce.
Proposition 1 asks voters to deliver a significant financial boost to Texas State Technical College, a state-funded network of 11 campuses serving nearly 14,000 students this year, including about 1,000 through its Fort Bend County site. The extra revenue, expected to total tens of millions of dollars annually, would help TSTC grow its existing campuses and potentially expand to other parts of Texas.
Recent research from the Kinder Institute suggests more than 6 in 10 eligible voters in Houston are expected to vote in the upcoming election. But if past turnout trends and our data are valid guides, we are looking at another election in which the voices of young adults and Hispanics will be underrepresented.
Voter registration data shows where Houston may have gaps
When it comes to potential voter strength, not all areas of Houston are the same. More densely populated areas generally have more registered voters, and some areas have fewer registered voters than they could have if every adult were accounted for.
Amid all the high-profile constitutional amendments in this year’s Texas election (no COVID restrictions for religious services, property tax breaks for families of veterans and the disabled), one seemingly nerdy amendment stood out as important for urban and suburban areas such as unincorporated Harris County. That was Proposition 2, which allows counties to issue tax-increment bonds for transportation and other infrastructure.
Two ballot measures—and no change to policing in Austin and Minneapolis
Roughly one and a half years after George Floyd’s murder and the global protests that followed, local votes affecting local police forces came to the ballot box last week. In Austin, Proposition A would have mandated higher police staffing levels, but it failed by a very large margin, with 69% of voters rejecting the measure. Farther north in Minneapolis, a more narrow but still decisive vote rejected the disbandment of the Minneapolis police department (56% opposed).
Rice University
Kraft Hall
6100 Main Street, Suite 305
Houston, TX 77005-1892
