You can’t change what you don’t vote for — and North Texas seems fine with that.
Scott Goldstein sees the problem firsthand. The communications and government relations consultant of Downtown Dallas Inc. — and former chief of policy and communications for Mayor Mike Rawlings — has been sounding the alarm for years about dismal voter turnout. In his award-winning newsletter, Meetings of Interest, he doesn’t sugarcoat it: “If history is any guide, voter turnout for this Saturday’s Dallas City Council elections will be abysmal, likely somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of registered voters.”
“By this measure of civic engagement, Dallas is a national embarrassment, consistently ranking among the worst cities in the country,” says Scott Goldstein.
It’s not just voters in short supply
This election year, Dallas has one district councilman running unopposed, Paul Ridley (District 14), and several more with only one candidate challenging the incumbent. An incumbent council member, Jaynie Schultz, decided several months before filing opened not to run for her seat again. All 14 city council districts are up for re-election this Saturday.
Candidates Respond
Earlier this year, our city hall reporter submitted questionnaires to all city council candidates about their takes on real estate issues. We received no responses for candidates in several races, including two around North Dallas and part of Preston Hollow. Candidates we received no response include those in Districts 5 (Jaime Resendez vs. Elizabeth Matus), 12 (Cara Mendelsohn vs. Marc Rossouw and Jose Cavazos), 13 (Gay Donnell Willis vs. Diane Benjamin), and 14 (Ridley).
You can find the rest of the other candidates’ responses at CandysDirt.com/elections. One candidate in District 3, John Sims, submitted his answers after the questionnaire’s deadline and publishing, but have been added to his respective race’s story for these purposes.
Allen and Prosper Cancel Elections
The City of Allen isn’t having their May 3 elections. The two spots up for re-election, Places 4 and 6, had no other candidates except for the incumbents. Because they were unopposed, the election was canceled and the candidates were declared elected.
In the Town of Prosper, the Mayor David F. Bristol, Place 1 Council Member Marcus E. Ray, and Place 4 Chris E. Kern each had no opponents for their seats and were consequently declared elected.
The same thing happened in University Park last year. The City of University Park canceled its May 4, 2024 election because the mayor Tommy Stewart and four Council Member candidates were unopposed.
Mayors, Council Members, and School Board Members
Across the Metroplex, there are hundreds of city council and school board members, as well as several mayors are up for election on May 3. In addition, many cities are voting on bond packages and other propositions. This is just a small snapshot of all the elections taking place Saturday.
Fort Worth
- Mayor: 1 seat
- City Council: 10 seats
- Rundown:
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker is facing a lengthy ballot of candidates this year — seven people are running against Parker, first elected in 2021 and re-elected with 70% of the vote in 2023. - Incumbent council members Gyna Bivens of District 5 and Jared Williams of District 6 are not seeking reelection. Of the other nine incumbents, all but District 7’s Macy Hill and District 10’s Alan Blaylock are facing at least one challenger, Fort Worth Report reported.
- Read the Fort Worth Report’s City of Fort Worth 2025 election guide.
Arlington
- In Arlington, voters will weigh in on five separate propositions for a proposed bond program that could provide up to $200 million in funding for streets and sidewalks, parks, police and fire stations and other public facilities if approved.
- Arlington does not hold mayoral or city council races until next year.
Plano
- Mayor: Serves as Place 6
- City Council: Districts 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8
- Rundown:
Plano Mayor John Muns is running unopposed. Place 5 Council Member Shelby Williams resigned and is running for Precinct 4 on the Collin County Commissioners Court, Community Impact reported.
McKinney
- Mayor: 1 seat
- City Council: District 1, District 3, and At-Large 1
- Rundown:
Four men are vying to succeed George Fuller as mayor of McKinney. District 1 Council Member Justin Beller is unopposed.
Garland
- Mayor: 1 seat
- City Council: Districts 3, 6, 7, and 8
- Rundown:
Six people are vying to succeed Scot LeMay as mayor of Garland, who is term limited, KERA News reported. District 7 Council Member Joe Thomas Jr. is unopposed.
Frisco
- City Council: Place 2 and Place 4
Flower Mound
- Town Council: Place 1 (3-year term)
Highland Park ISD
- School Board: Place 3, Place 4, and Place 5
- Rundown:
For the Highland Park ISD school board, Place 3, Bryce Benson and Place 5, Ellen Lee, are running unopposed. The Town of Highland Park does not hold elections until May 2, 2026.
Where do I vote?
Voters in more than a dozen North Texas counties are approved to use the Countywide Polling Place Program for the May 3 uniform election, meaning voters can vote at any polling location they like in their home county — the county they are registered in, NBC5DFW Reported. Those CPPP-approved counties are Collin, Comanche, Dallas, Ellis, Erath, Grayson, Henderson, Hood, Hopkins, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, and Tarrant.
Voters in all other North Texas counties, including Denton, must vote at their designated precinct on Election Day. Find your voting location on your county’s election webpage. See a statewide list of all approved CPPP counties here.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and if you’re in line by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote.
What ID do I need to vote?
You must present one of the following forms of photo ID when voting in person:
- Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) issued by DPS
- Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
- Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
- A United States Military Identification card containing the person’s photograph
- A United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
- A United States Passport (book or card)
Where do I find election results?
You can find election results on North Texas’s respective county election pages. They include:
Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Van Zandt, Wise
Results will not be available until after the polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting numbers are typically released first, shortly after 7 p.m., and then day-of ballots are counted and updated throughout the night.
