Press Release

September 2, 2020

Media relations

No contacts found

Share this release

ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston to Host Town Hall Empowering Texans to Vote Early in the 2020 Elections

‘YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE: Countdown to Early Voting’ Will Stream Live
Thursday, Sept. 3 (7:00 – 8:00 p.m. CDT)

Exclusive Stream Live at ABC13.com, ABC13’s Facebook Live and YouTube and ABC13’s Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku

ABC13, Houston’s news leader, is bringing together election officials and community organizations in a “YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE: Countdown to Early Voting” town hall, THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 (7:00-8:00 p.m. CDT). The town hall will be hosted by ABC13’s Eyewitness News reporter Miya Shay and will inform Houstonians what they need to know to exercise their right to vote amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shay and the panel of experts will take your questions about voting in the 2020 presidential election, dispel myths about mail-in ballots in Texas, and share how activists are working to register voters, and fight voter suppression in underserved communities.

Panelists for the town hall include the following:

  • Chris Hollins, Harris County clerk
  • John Oldham, Fort Bend County Election administrator
  • Annie Benifield, League of Women Voters-Houston
  • Debbie Chen, OCA-Greater Houston
  • Irfan Ali, Honorary Secretary of the Ismaili Council for the Southwestern U.S.
  • Stephanie Gómez, Texas Civil Rights Project

As voters prepare to cast their ballots in this pivotal election, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the normal course of action for election administrators and civic organizations alike. While Texas grapples with the virus, activists told Eyewitness News they have pivoted to drive-thru and virtual voter registration events out of an abundance of caution and safety.

NRG Park announced this week, it has been designated as the headquarters of the Harris County Clerk’s Office for the 2020 presidential election and will offer early-voting and drive-thru voting.

In Harris and Fort Bend counties, election officials are working to innovate the ways to vote, seeking to expand early voting dates, hours and locations, encouraging at-risk voters to submit absentee ballots, and substituting older election workers susceptible to coronavirus infections with students ready to assist precincts across the region.

For voters in Texas, time is of the essence. The deadline to register to vote in the 2020 presidential election is Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. Qualified voters must request absentee (mail-in) ballots no later than Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.

The virtual town hall will air THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 at 7:00 p.m. CDT, on ABC13.com, streaming on ABC13’s Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC13’s app and ABC13’s connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.

About ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston 
For over 50 years, ABC13 has been Houston’s news leader from sign-on to sign-off. Broadcasting 49 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, ABC13 is the top-rated and most-watched news station among the Houston-area viewers. ABC13 also leads the market in its digital media efforts, with top rankings for its website, abc13.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. ABC13 delivers live and streaming content on Roku, Fire TV, Amazon and AppleTV in the ABC13 Houston App. ABC13 is deeply invested in the Houston community, spotlighting Houston’s diversity with community affairs programs covering issues that affect different segments of the population – from local town halls to ABC13+. The station also hosts several community projects throughout the year including Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and our E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. ABC13 is also known for broadcasting the city’s major events including the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, The Chevron Marathon, Houston Pride and The Houston Rodeo Parade.

Twitter:https://twitter.com/abc13houston
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/abc13houston/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/abc13Houston/

ABC13/KTRK Contact:
Brandon De Hoyos, Director of Community Engagement
(713) 663-8712