Residents who want to serve on The Woodlands Township Board of Directors have until 5 p.m. Monday, August 17, to file for a spot on the November ballot.
The board unanimously adopted an election order at its Thursday, July 23, meeting, formally calling the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, general election for Positions 1, 2, 3 and 4. Chief Administrative Officer Karen Dempsey presented the order, which designates the Township Secretary as election agent. The Township anticipates contracting with Harris County and Montgomery County to conduct the joint election at regular county polling locations, according to a Township press release.
All four seats are two-year, unpaid terms.
The filing period opened Saturday, July 18. Candidates can submit applications by mail, in person during business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), by fax at 281-210-3978, or by email at [email protected]. Filing packets are also available at thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or by calling 281-210-3800. The deadline for write-in candidacy declarations is 5 p.m. Friday, August 21.
Who qualifies
A candidate must be at least 18 years old by Election Day, a U.S. citizen, a Texas resident for the past 12 months, and a resident of The Woodlands Township for the past six months. A felony conviction or a court finding of mental incompetence disqualifies a candidate.
The incumbents
The four directors whose terms expire are Brad Bailey (Position 1), Linda Nelson (Position 2), Richard Franks (Position 3) and Craig Eissler (Position 4), all elected on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. None has publicly announced whether they will seek re-election.
No candidate has yet filed for any of the four seats.
In the 2024 race, 57,298 ballots were cast among 80,867 registered voters, according to the Township's 2024 election order.
Key dates for voters
- Monday, October 5 — last day to register to vote
- Monday, October 19 — early voting begins
- Friday, October 23 — deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot
- Friday, October 30 — early voting ends
- Tuesday, November 3 — Election Day
The Woodlands is an unincorporated community governed by a seven-member elected board. Four seats are up in even years and three in odd years.
The candidate filing window closes at 5 p.m. Monday, August 17.
