Unofficial returns give Natalie Bodner 6,564 votes and incumbent Stephen Antwi 5,579 votes, with the official canvass still to come.
Natalie Bodner and incumbent Stephen Antwi won the two available seats on the Walker County Hospital District Board of Managers in the November 3 election, according to unofficial election results released November 4. Bodner received 6,564 votes, while Antwi received 5,579 votes in a four-candidate race.
Incumbent Joe Sapp finished third with 4,512 votes, followed by Donald Batiste with 4,280 votes. The two candidates receiving the most votes earned four-year terms on the board. A total of 21,825 votes were cast across Walker County in the November 3 election.
All vote totals included in this story remain unofficial. No official canvass of the November 3 election had been located as of November 10. The Houstonian identified Bodner and Antwi as the winners on Wednesday, November 4, but that announcement does not constitute official certification. The results will remain unofficial until Walker County completes its canvass.
The hospital district board oversees the county's hospital system, which is central to the ongoing financial situation involving Huntsville Memorial Hospital. The election results maintain one current board member while bringing in a new representative. Antwi retained his position, while Sapp lost his seat to challenger Bodner, who received the highest number of votes.
Bodner finished ahead of Antwi by 985 votes. Antwi secured the second seat with a 1,067-vote lead over Sapp. Sapp finished 232 votes ahead of Batiste. Overall, the difference between the highest and lowest vote totals was 2,284 in a race where voters could select two candidates.
Unofficial vote totals in the hospital district race
The reported unofficial totals were 6,564 votes for Bodner, 5,579 for Antwi, 4,512 for Sapp and 4,280 for Batiste. Combined, the four candidates received 20,935 votes in the hospital district race. Across all contests on the Walker County ballot, 21,825 votes were cast.
Election results were made available November 4 and remained unchanged during subsequent checks on November 6, November 9 and November 10. The results included the hospital district race along with other Walker County contests, with all local figures identified as unofficial.
The Houstonian, citing the Associated Press, identified Bodner and Antwi as the winners on Wednesday, November 4. However, election-night and early reporting identifies projected winners based on available returns rather than officially certifying the outcome. Final certification is determined through the local canvass, which had not been published when this story was prepared.
Canvass window runs through November 17
According to Texas Secretary of State Election Advisory No. 2026-28, the canvass period for the November 3 election runs from Friday, November 6, through Tuesday, November 17, 2026. The deadline for military and overseas ballots, as well as in-person ballot cures, was Monday, November 9. These deadlines establish the timeframe for completing the official count and certifying election results.
Walker County Commissioners Court held a meeting Tuesday, November 10, at 10 a.m. The canvass of the November 3 general election was expected to be included on the meeting agenda. However, the published agenda for that meeting was not located, so it cannot be confirmed whether the canvass occurred. Residents can refer to the county for updates regarding the canvass and certified vote totals.
Until the canvass is finalized, the numbers presented in this story should be considered unofficial. Bodner and Antwi maintained leads of 2,052 votes and 1,067 votes, respectively, over the next candidate in the race. Although those margins are substantial, the final certified totals could vary slightly as remaining ballots and corrections are processed and the results are reviewed.
Other Walker County races on the same ballot
Walker County voters also participated in several state and federal elections on November 3. In State Senate District 5, Republican Charles Schwertner defeated Democrat Paul Thomasson by 13,392 votes to 7,759 votes, based on unofficial election figures. In State Representative District 12, Republican Trey Wharton defeated Democrat Andie Ho, receiving 13,672 votes compared with Ho's 7,459.
In the U.S. House races, Republican Jessica Hart Steinmann defeated Democrat Laura Jones by 3,839 votes to 3,141 votes in the Walker County portion of Congressional District 8. In Congressional District 10, Republican Charles Gober defeated Caitlin Rourk by 9,409 votes to 4,828 votes. These totals represent only the Walker County portions of the congressional districts, not the overall district results.
New Waverly residents also voted in municipal and school board elections. In the New Waverly City Council race, Ignatius Slott received 126 votes, Robert Slott received 105 votes and Jim Glisson received 77 votes, placing them among the top three candidates. Kerman Sykes received 75 votes, Kaz Risner received 76 votes and Kable Risner received 68 votes.
For New Waverly Independent School District board Position 1, Shawn Byler defeated David Wells by 1,252 votes to 713 votes. In Position 3, Jacob Slott defeated Jason Greer, receiving 1,328 votes compared with Greer's 855 votes.
Huntsville Independent School District did not have a contested election on November 3. The district's election was canceled because all candidates ran unopposed. As a result, the hospital district board election remained the primary contested local race for Huntsville voters, in addition to the state and federal contests.
Bodner and Antwi will each serve four-year terms on the Board of Managers. The board is responsible for overseeing the county hospital system, and the new terms will begin following certification of the election results. Walker County is expected to release the certified vote totals once the canvass is complete. Until then, all figures in this story should be treated as unofficial rather than final.