Fort Bend County voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, to pick the county's next judge. Results are not yet available and will be posted after polls close at 7 p.m.

Republican Daniel Wong and Democrat Dexter McCoy are competing for the seat, as we reported Oct. 31. The county judge presides over Commissioners Court, oversees the county budget and leads the emergency management department, according to Houston Public Media.

The winner will inherit a county government that has been in turmoil for months. Former County Judge KP George was suspended from office in April and later convicted of felony money laundering in June, Houston Public Media reported. A visiting Galveston County district judge appointed Wong as interim county judge in April.

Whether Wong has the legal authority to keep serving has divided the court along party lines. Democratic Commissioners Dexter McCoy and Grady Prestage stopped attending Commissioners Court meetings over the summer, saying they were following legal guidance from the county attorney's office. Wong continues to preside over the court, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Wong is a former Sugar Land City Council member and CEO of an engineering firm. He has pitched himself as a fiscal watchdog, proposing a tax rate reduction that passed Commissioners Court before the 2027 fiscal year budget was adopted.

"Good news, Fort Bend County has money. Bad news, Fort Bend County wastes a lot of money," Wong said at an early October candidate debate, according to Houston Public Media.

McCoy is the Precinct 4 commissioner, first elected in 2022 according to the Chronicle. He previously served as an aide to the U.S. Secretary of Education during the Obama administration. McCoy said affordability is a top priority, noting that over 70% of county tax revenue relies on residential homeowners.

"We've got to really get serious about our economic development, our business attraction," McCoy said, according to Houston Public Media.

A Texas Southern University poll released in October showed McCoy with a 9-percentage-point lead over Wong, the Houston Press reported. Eleven percent of voters were undecided.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Anyone already in line at 7 p.m. will be permitted to vote, the Houston Press reported. Voters can find unofficial results after polls close on Fort Bend County's election results page.