HOUSTON – The Houston City Council District B runoff race has been scheduled for May with a trial set for January. The runoff came into question when a third-place finisher in the Nov. 5 election filed a lawsuit contesting the election and demanding another candidate be disqualified for being a convicted felon.
Candidates Tarsha Jackson and Cynthia Bailey were set to face off in a runoff election after neither candidate got enough votes for an outright win. Third-place finisher Renee Jefferson-Smith filed a lawsuit demanding Bailey be disqualified because she was previously convicted of felony forgery and also because she says she lied on her application for candidacy about the conviction.
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Jefferson-Smith’s first attempt to remove Bailey from the ballot was denied. She then filed a second suit contesting the Nov. 5 election. The second lawsuit led the Harris County Clerk’s office to remove the race from the Dec. 14 joint runoff ballot.
Bailey’s attorney, Oliver Brown, previously told KPRC 2 his client was eligible to be on the ballot under the state’s “home rule” statutes.
Harris County Attorney special assistant, Douglas Ray previously told KPRC 2 that Texas election code requires that an election not be carried out until a judge brings a ruling on the contest. Another code requires that a judge deciding an election contest must not be from the same jurisdiction as the race.
This lawsuit will go to trial on Jan. 24, 2020. The Distirct B runoff will be decided on May 2, 2020.