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The election season is not over yet — not for the candidates whose nights did not end in a decisive victory on May 3, and not for the voters. They must select a new mayor, and some will select a new city council representative.
Former Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos will face off in the June 7 mayoral runoff contest.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur faces a runoff challenge from business owner Patty Gibbons.
The race for District 6 will be between organizers Kelly Ann Gonzalez and Ric Galvan.
District 8 residents will select either former mayoral chief of staff Ivalis Meza Gonzalez or attorney Paula McGee.
District 9 voters will select either accountant Misty Spears or business owner Angi Taylor Aramburu.
Following changes to the San Antonio City Charter last November, winners of council and mayoral elections this year will have four-year terms.
REGISTRATION AND MAIL IN BALLOTS
- Ballot by mail: The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is May 27
EARLY VOTING
- Tuesday, May 27: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 28: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday, May 29: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday, May 30: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, May 31: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, June 1: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Monday, June 2: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 3: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
ELECTION DAY
- Saturday, June 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WHERE TO VOTE
Review early voting polling locations on the map below.
VOTING BY MAIL
Information and directions on voting by mail are available here.
WHAT TO BRING
A valid ID. The Texas secretary of state said acceptable forms of ID include:
- Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
- Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
- Texas Handgun License issued by DPS
- United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
- United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
- United States Passport (book or card)
If you don’t have a valid photo ID, here are other options.
VOTING WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
A person of your choice or an election worker can assist you at the polls but the person cannot be your employer or someone who represents your employer, or an officer or representative of your union.
If you're physically unable to enter the polling location, you can vote curbside. Send someone into the polling location to request an election worker who will meet you at the curb. If you're planning on arriving alone, call ahead to your county's elections office.
VOTING CONCERNS
If any voter feels concerned about their experience or other issues at polling places, they may share those concerns with the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) or the U.S. Attorney's Office.
TCRP has set up an election protection hotline — 866-OUR VOTE.
Visit civilrights.justice.gov for information or federal assistance.
MAYOR
Former Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force and two-time Democratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones will face former Republican Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos in the June 7 mayoral runoff election after no candidate received a majority of votes in the May municipal election.
Jones earned 27.2% of the vote, and Pablos earned 16.61% of the vote in the May 3 municipal election. That contest featured a field of 27 candidates running to succeed longtime Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who has reached his term limit.
Jones served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force, in the Executive Office of the President, and oversaw a budget of over $173 billion as Under Secretary of the Air Force.
She has campaigned for better lit streets, streamlining the approval process for some types of affordable housing, repurposing closed schools to serve as expanded Pre-K 4 SA or childcare opportunities, and improving internet connectivity.
Jones has also advocated for developing ways to hold corporate landlords and investors accountable for their “role in the housing crisis,” identifying additional funding sources for Pre-K 4 SA, and reevaluating the city’s Ready to Work workforce development program.
Pablos is a managing partner of Cross-National Advisory Partners, an international business consulting firm, and has served as a commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
He is a self-described fiscal conservative who has run on his relationships with state leaders and his experience attracting businesses to Texas to foster economic development.
Pablos has campaigned on making government expenditures more transparent to the public, establishing regular reviews of all city boards and commissions, and consolidating some city services with Bexar County to build a more efficient government operation.
Pablos also wants to increase the number of police officers, replace aging SAWS pipes, offer incentives for construction companies to finish city projects faster and offer incentives to small businesses so they can operate more easily.
District 1
District 1 San Antonio City Councilmember Sukh Kaur is seeking a second term representing downtown San Antonio and the near North Side.
Kaur finished first among a crowded field of 10 candidates in the May 3 election but fell just shy of gaining the 50% plus one vote needed to avoid a runoff. She faces business owner Patty Gibbons, who received 17.10 % of the vote, in the June 7 runoff.
Kaur was elected in 2023. The Sikh American educator and realtor is the first South Asian to serve on the City Council. Kaur said her priorities include more affordable housing and to help residents stay in their existing homes.
She also seeks more support for home rehabs and she backs a pilot fencing program to secure animals in neighborhoods.
Gibbons is a former Harmony Hills Neighborhood Association president.
She backs street improvements, better lighting and sidewalks, and drainage. She also wants increased support for police to reduce crime and to reduce the city tax rate to provide tax relief.
The District 1 seat has changed hands multiple times in recent years.
District 6
Two young progressive candidates will face off against each other in the runoff election for San Antonio’s City Council District 6 representing the far West Side.
34-year-old Kelly Ann Gonzalez and 24-year-old Rick Galvan emerged from a field of eight wanting to represent the city’s fast-growing West Side.
Only 28 votes separated the two on election night.
Gonzalez, a labor organizer and Galvan, a progressive political organizer, are running for the seat soon to be vacated by long-time councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda.
Cabello Havrda decided not to continue as a city council representative in her unsuccessful bid for San Antonio Mayor. Gonzalez has worked closely with Cabello Havrda on several issues in the past and recently received her endorsement.
Gonzalez most recently worked for the union that represents City of San Antonio employees. Her priorities include government transparency, better wages and public safety.
Galvan's endorsements include the Democratic Socialists of America as well as council members Adriana Rocha Garcia, Teri Castillo and Marina Alderete Gavito. His platform concentrates on affordable and stable housing, along with growth and sustainability.
Both candidates have expressed their intentions to keep the people of District 6 top of mind in every decision before the city council, should they win the seat.
District 8
Ivalis Meza Gonzalez will face off against Paula McGee in the June 7 runoff for the District 8 city council seat.
The district is one of San Antonio’s most densely populated, and hosts several major employers including USAA, UTSA’s main campus and several hospitals making up the medical center.
Meza Gonzalez led the May 3 vote by more than 20 percentage points with more than 40% of the vote. She was born and raised in San Antonio, attending UTSA and then St Mary’s Law. She has lived in the district for more than a decade.
She has significant city hall experience, working for current Mayor Ron Nirenberg.
She entered the general election with several prominent endorsements, including from Nirenberg, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, the San Antonio Express-News, as well as public safety and other unions. Since entering the runoff, she has picked up endorsements from State Senator Jose Menendez.
Both candidates campaigned on some combination of improving infrastructure, public safety and access to public services.
Meza Gonzalez told TPR on election night that people wanted someone with experience to execute on these projects.
Paula McGee’s message is leaning in the opposite direction, offering a case for an outsider representing the district with a fresh perspective.
She is an attorney who has served on San Antonio’s Zoning Commission and the Ethics Review Board. She also comes with some endorsements: Former councilman Joe Krier and Reed Williams have endorsed her along with former Mayor Ivy Taylor.
Her platform prioritizes public safety, infrastructure, parks and libraries, and refocusing tax dollars on city services, rather than ones she says are the responsibility of the state and federal government.
Water resource infrastructure, transparency, and strategies for dealing with people who are unhoused, are also listed as priorities for her campaign.
The seat represents the city's far Northwest Side. Councilman Manny Pelaez reached his term limit and vacated the seat to run, unsuccessfully, for mayor.
District 9
On May 3, the District 9 race had two competitors whose tallies put them clearly at the top: Misty Spears with 38% and Angi Taylor Aramburu with 36% of the vote. Neither got 50%+ to win outright so they are competing again in the June 7 runoff election.
Spears’ campaign highlights a “Let’s get back to basics” approach and notes her support from both the Police Officers and Firefighters Associations. She also wants to “streamline government” and reduce property taxes. Spears has the support of District 3 Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody, for whom she currently works.
While neither candidate is inclined to run a partisan race, Spears says she wants to govern from a conservative standpoint.
Angi Taylor Aramburu notes her experience in small business ownership, her volunteer involvement in parks, the mayor’s fitness council and as an advocate for public education. She also lists leadership awards and is an advocate for smart growth. Aramburu has the support of outgoing District 9 Councilperson John Courage.
District 9 is considered one of the most conservative in town, but Courage won four elections in a row to represent them. The question will be answered on June 7th: will the voters look to continue his center-left style with Aramburu, or take a turn to the right with Spears?
