San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is urging City Council to move the city’s municipal elections from their traditional Saturday in May to the November general election date, arguing the shift would boost turnout and save taxpayer dollars.
At a community town hall on Saturday, Jones said San Antonio’s most recent municipal election in May drew only about 9% of registered voters, compared with nearly 20% turnout in the November general election that followed.
“People in our community associate voting with November,” she told attendees, noting that large Texas cities such as Dallas, Houston and Austin already hold their city races then.
An assessment from City Manager Erik Walsh estimates San Antonio could save up to $1 million per cycle by consolidating its local contests with the fall ballot, largely by sharing polling locations, equipment and staffing costs with other jurisdictions.
The city spent about $1.5 million administering this year’s May election.
The window to act is narrow. A new state law passed this year lets cities move their election dates by council vote, without seeking voter approval — but only until the end of December, when additional restrictions take effect.
If the council approves the change, the first San Antonio election affected would be in 2029 because four-year terms approved by voters last year already lock in the current cycle.
Critics don’t necessarily oppose higher turnout but are uneasy with the compressed timeline. Some council members and community advocates say the city is moving too quickly, giving residents little time to weigh in on a major structural change.
Others worry that placing nonpartisan city races on a crowded November ballot could inject more partisanship into local contests or overshadow school-board and special-district elections that often share polling places.
Council will hold a B-session briefing on the proposal Wednesday, where members are expected to press city staff on logistics, legal questions and public outreach before deciding whether to schedule a vote later this month.
Guest:
Gina Ortiz Jones is the Mayor of San Antonio.
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