Voters are concerned about affordability, but how quickly can lawmakers fix the issue?

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As the 2026 midterm election approached, voters told ABC13 their major concern was affordability.

Data show that concern was driven by a months-long surge in inflation, a surge in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate, and gas prices rising since early 2026.

Approximately three-quarters of House voters nationally were rated as not good or poor, according to ABC News' Voter Polls.

That in part fueled the Democratic takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Following the election, ABC13 spoke with voters about what was on their minds.

"Affordability and job prospects. We are all worried and want a better change for things, and we are definitely looking for someone to represent us to speak about these topics and create change," Laura Ballesteros said.

Eyewitness News spoke with a Rice University Professor and Economist about what newly elected lawmakers can do to reduce the cost of living.

"At the local level, you could reduce property taxes. You could reduce regulations on the housing market so we can build more housing," Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Policy John Diamond, Ph.D., said. "Ultimately, we look forward to a day when the Fed can get inflation down and into a rate-cutting cycle that would help lower the price of housing, lower the price of financing a car and other consumer financing decisions."

Diamond also said ending international political conflicts would help lower costs.

"What's the one thing that would have the biggest impact? That's the war in Iran. If we could figure that out, and we could get out of this uncertainty and out of this conflict, and gas prices could come way down, that would be immediate, and hopefully we would see some relief in terms of diesel costs," Diamond said.

ABC13 spoke with voters who said they want relief quickly but said they understand it may take some time.

Diamond said if affordability is tackled immediately, he thinks it will take months to years to fix.

"I think we are more on a six-month to one-year basis. You're not going to see anything change in one to two months," Diamond said.