# Event Details - **Event Name**: COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) - **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 22 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm – Thu, 22 Oct, 2026 at 09:00 pm (-05:00) - **Event Description**: COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) is an evening organized as a public forum ahead of the November 2026 election.About this EventCOUNTING AND COLLECTING (Votes and Trash)What becomes visible when policy is counted—and when it is not collected?COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) is an evening organized as a public forum ahead of the November 2026 election to examine the post-election process and the counting of votes and the persistent and highly visible civic issue of illegal dumping. Bringing together elected officials, policymakers, community organizers, and activists, the program considers Houston and Texas in relation to the national political landscape and asks how policy is enacted, experienced, and made visible.VOTES — in anticipation of the November election, looks beyond campaigns and candidates to what happens after a ballot is cast. The counting, certification, administration, and interpretation of election results constitute an essential but largely non-visible infrastructure of democracy.The discussion considers how votes will be counted and can be translated into political capital in Houston and Texas; how local and state electoral systems operate in relation to the national election; and what happens when political authority and policy diverge across municipal, county, state, and federal governments. Rather than a forum to predict the outcome of the election,VOTES asks what structures will determine how that outcome is counted, understood, and ultimately acted upon.TRASH — if the infrastructure surrounding the counting of votes is largely non-visible, illegal dumping is its opposite: an immediately visible manifestation of how public systems and policies fail to operate in equal measure for all. Across Houston, illegally dumped construction debris, household waste, tires, and other materials accumulate in public spaces, with neighborhoods of color disproportionately confronting the consequences. TRASH brings together local activists and organizations working directly on the issue to examine why illegal dumping persists, what policies and enforcement mechanisms currently exist, whether they are effective, and what needs to be done.The discussion asks not simply how trash can be removed, but what its continued accumulation reveals about infrastructure, municipal services, environmental justice, enforcement, public investment, and political responsibility.The forum is a public program organized by political strategist Evan Choate and conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll as a part of their career survey at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, How To Talk Dirty and Influence People curated by Rebecca Matalon.VOTES | 6PMModerated by: Molly Cook, Texas State SenatorTeneshia Hudspeth, Harris County Clerk and Chief Election OfficialAnnette Ramirez, Harris County Voter RegistrarTRASH | 7:30PMModerated by: Martin Melosi, University of Houston, Cullen Professor Emeritus of HistoryBryce Randall, Policy Director,Office of Council Member Alejandra Salinas, City of HoustonAndrew Beaver, Clean the Block, HoustonJoetta Stevenson, Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood President - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/houston/counting-and-collecting-votes-and-trash/100002002156450841 - **Event Categories**: business, art - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 3 hours - Location: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Houston - **state**: TX - **country**: United States - **location**: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston - **lat**: 29.7264257 - **long**: -95.3914178 - **full address**: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 5216 Montrose Blvd., Houston, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events9/banners/db9092c2c35883410d46b33b60507483d73ea473cb1be241472081352448aac3-rimg-w1200-h750-dcf8f8f8-gmir.jpg?v=1790474482 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) being held? - **A:** COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) takes place on Thu, 22 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm to Thu, 22 Oct, 2026 at 09:00 pm at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 5216 Montrose Blvd., Houston, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash)? - **A:** COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) is organized by Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** COUNTING and COLLECTING (Votes and Trash) is ideal for professionals, entrepreneurs, startup founders, and networking enthusiasts eager to grow their connections. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Houston, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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