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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones announced plans to propose a new voting commission that would help increase voter participation across the city.
At a press conference held outside City Hall on Friday morning, she said that the aim of this undertaking is only to help augment voter turnout.
A new voting commission would be comprised of an appointee from each district plus three appointees chosen by Jones.
Jones said that there is an attempt to make it harder for our most vulnerable neighbors to be heard at the ballot box, and that’s why we must do more to increase voter engagement.
"Earlier this week I sent a letter to our senators, encouraging them to reject the SAVE Act, a bill that would make it harder for most Americans to vote, but particularly for married women," said Jones.
Local activist Patricia Castillo was asked by Jones to attend the announcement at City Hall and said we need to cut through the disillusionment and head to the polls.
“I think these times have made us aware of how we can be affected when we don’t speak up, when we don’t use our superpower," said Castillo. "People are coming out in droves and that’s precisely what we need. And there’s momentum now, and we need to jump on that momentum.”
Lydia Camarillo with the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project said we have an opportunity to be the most dynamic democracy in the world, but we're not there yet.
"There is nothing more powerful than using our vote to hire or fire those that work for us, or against us," exclaimed Camarillo. "I ask you to support this extraordinary opportunity to work with the mayor and the council members, to work on strategies and opportunities that will lead us as the state that leads the nation on voter participation in a way we haven't seen before."
Castillo added, “This is something that we need to revive. We need to reclaim. We need to bring it back up and recognize the power that it gives us to transform our communities.”
The Bexar County Elections Department reports a near-double surge in early voter participation for the 2026 Primary Election. 70,912 ballots were cast within the first five days, marking a 48% increase from the 33,936 votes recorded in the first five days of the 2022 midterm primaries.
"Later this summer we will celebrate our nation's 250th birthday," said Jones. "At the birth of our nation, women and people of color were not allowed to vote. Voting is the mark of a citizen. It is a cherished right. And it is a right that is under attack."
Mayor Jones plans to have the commission in place by April 3, 2026.
