Government
BY RACHEL LELAND & CATHERINE WHITE
Pearland residents raise early voting concerns Residents’ concerns at Pearland City Council’s March 16 meeting prompted the city to commit to ask Brazoria County for data on voter turnout from previous elections where the voting window was extended and discuss the possibility of expanding that window for future elections at a December joint election planning meeting. The breakdown The city contracts with Brazoria County to conduct elections under a joint election services agreement, meaning Pearland cannot unilaterally extend early voting hours at just its own locations, city attorney Lawrence Provins said at the meeting. If Pearland expanded voting hours without the rest of the county, the county could decline to run Pearland’s election, forcing the city to self-adminis- ter the election at a higher cost, Provins said.
Manvel seeks state anti-terrorism grant Manvel City Council will apply for $250,000-350,000 of funding through the State Homeland Security Program’s LETPA, or Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities, which is designed to help cities respond to threats of terrorism. What you need to know The grant supports the acquisition of protective equipment, tactical response tools and communications training for first responders, according to the Texas Gover- nor’s Public Safety Office grant website. Regional security assessments by the Houston Galveston Area Council identified ongoing capability gaps in first responder preparedness and response to complex coordinated attacks, according to city documents.
Early voting turnouts Galveston County Brazoria County
Registered voters
November 2025 election
52.2%
47% March 2026 primary election
66.3% 66.5%
SOURCE: TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Quote of note Mayor Kevin Cole said that in previous elections, the window to vote early had been wider, and he supported asking the county for clarity on why the hours changed this year. “I think certainly, the weekends should be a no-brainer where it can go 7 [a.m.] to 7 [p.m.] and then Monday, Tuesday be 7 to 7,” Cole said at the meeting. “That seems to be the way it has been for many years.”
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PEARLAND - FRIENDSWOOD - MANVEL EDITION
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