State Representative, District 17
State House District 17; Texas
My vote power
High
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
How do we calculate my vote power?
What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.
Representation: High · 72 out of 100
This district is a small slice of its state, so each vote here carries much more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 217,646 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(30,188,424 ÷ 217,646) ÷ ln(50,000) = 72.79, measured against a statewide vote in TX (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
High representation → My vote power: High.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
About this office
- Voting on how much you pay in state taxes
- Voting on how much money your local public schools get
- Voting on which roads and highways get built or repaired
Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,
Candidates
Democratic · declared
Mary Klenz is the Democratic nominee for Texas House District 17 in 2026, an Ob/Gyn physician and former Peace Corps volunteer who practiced 25 years in the Rio Grande Valley; first run for office.
Republican · Incumbent · declared
Stan Gerdes has served in the Texas House since 2023. He is a former Smithville City Council member and gubernatorial adviser.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for, 3 against, Election Integrity 3 for, Environment and Public Health 1 for, 2 against,
Source: en.wikipedia.org