Houston METRO to provide free rides to, from runoff election polls

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) has announced a collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Houston to offer free transportation to polling stations for the city's 2023 runoff election. METRO has stated that registered voters are eligible for a complimentary round-trip ride to Houston-area polling locations via METRORail, local bus, METRORapid, curb2curb or METROLift.

According to a press release issued by METRO, voters requiring personalized directions can plan their journey using the RideMETRO mobile application or through the RideMETRO.org website. The release also mentioned that METRO's Customer Service team is available for contact via call or text at (713) 635-4000.

For those seeking further information about the election, METRO recommended visiting the Harris Votes website.

The contest for Houston’s top office is between U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) and State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston), who were identified as the leading two candidates from an initial group of 17, according to NBC News. Neither candidate secured 50% of the vote required to win the election outright.

As reported by Houston Daily, citing Houston CBS affiliate KHOU News, this election marked the first Election Day following the implementation of several statewide election security and integrity laws. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth told KHOU News that races on November 7 had been conducted smoothly.