'The best is still in store': Turner offers birthday wishes to former Harris County clerk

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave a birthday shoutout to former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, who garnered national acclaim after overseeing one of the biggest voter turnouts in recent memory last fall.

Hollins assumed the office of Harris County Clerk when his predecessor, Dr. Diane Trautman, stepped down, according to Houstonia Magazine. He was thrust into the limelight during the 2020 presidential election when Harris County broke turnout records.

"Wishing a #HappyBirthday to @CGHollins," Mayor Turner wrote in a July 8 Twitter post. "Let’s continue to fight the good fight. The best is still in store."

Though he is a registered Democrat, he kept a nonpartisan stance while serving as county clerk.

"We are at a pivotal time in this country,” Hollins told Houstonia. “So many folks are yearning to have their voices heard. It’s my job to make that possible, to make sure everyone can cast their vote and do so safely, conveniently, and with the peace of mind that their vote will be counted.”

Hollins is the youngest person to ever serve as Harris County Clerk and is also the first person of color to hold the position.

“I will certainly never forget these few months spent in this office,” Hollins told Houstonia. “Making sure that regardless of who you are, you had as much access as you possibly could to make sure your voice was heard and claim your seat at the table in this democracy.”

The son of a Houston Police Department veteran and a receptionist, Christopher G. Hollins is a practicing attorney by profession and has worked at some of the world's most distinguished law firms.

Hollins is an alum of Hightower High School in Missouri City and holds degrees from Morehouse College, Yale Law School and Harvard Business School.

He currently resides with his wife Morgan and daughter Vivian in Houston's University Oaks neighborhood.