{"id":434759,"date":"2025-12-09T04:05:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T04:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/434759\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T04:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T04:05:13","slug":"san-antonio-city-council-to-debate-shifting-election-date-from-may-to-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/434759\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio City Council to debate shifting election date from May to November"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 The San Antonio City Council will debate whether to move its city council elections from May to November in odd-numbered years at a Wednesday meeting.<\/p>\n

The charge to move the election date is being led by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, who learned about the possibility after reading in November about Dallas adjusting its election cycle. Jones said making a similar change could save San Antonio roughly $1 million and help drive higher voter turnout. <\/p>\n

With Dallas and Houston now holding elections in November of odd-numbered years and Austin holding them in November of even-numbered years, Jones said San Antonio is the last big city in Texas to hold its elections in May.<\/p>\n

She is supported by a number of local groups and her predecessor, Ron Nirenberg, but it\u2019s not yet clear where the majority of the city council stand on the idea. <\/p>\n

They will have to make a decision quickly, though. The state Legislature-created window to shift the election date closes at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo put this in very simple terms, the reason, one of the main reasons we also have to move this from May to November, is because voters have been clear. When it\u2019s between voting and Fiesta, Fiesta wins\u201a\u201d she said at a Monday news conference, in reference to the low turnout during this year\u2019s May election<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But with the notable exception<\/a> of this year, when the question of whether to help fund a new Spurs arena drove people to the polls, odd-year November elections are not well-attended either. <\/p>\n

November elections in even-numbered years have high-profile races that push people to the polls, like the presidential, gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races. But the November ballot in odd-numbered years is dominated by state constitutional amendments, smaller cities and school districts.<\/p>\n

Since 2015, the number of voters from across the entirety of Bexar County who vote in odd-year November elections has typically been about the same or less than those who vote in San Antonio\u2019s mayoral elections in May. <\/p>\n

Jones said turnout also depends on what\u2019s on the ballot. She maintains a November election date would result in more voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the timing of the election matters,\u201d she said in response to KSAT\u2019s questions at the Monday news conference. \u201cThe data is very clear on this. Lots of academic research shows turnout is higher in November because people associate voting with November.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor has attributed an estimate of $800,000 to $1 million in potential savings to City Manager Erik Walsh, though city staff did not confirm the number.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is assessing the potential savings and costs of moving its elections to November and will present this information to Council at the public B Session on Wednesday, Dec. 10,\u201d city spokesman Brian Chasnoff told KSAT in an emailed statement Monday. \u201cElection costs are shared by entities participating in an election and therefore are impacted by the number of other entities holding an election in that cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Dallas voters approved a change to the city charter, Dallas-area legislators pushed for the ability to change the city\u2019s local elections from May to November. The option, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law June 20, could also apply to San Antonio, but it appeared to largely fly under the radar.<\/p>\n

San Antonio Assistant City Manager Jeff Coyle, who oversees the city\u2019s lobbying efforts, said in an emailed statement the issue had not been a legislative priority, so staff didn\u2019t brief council members about it.<\/p>\n

Jones said she only learned about it in November after reading about Dallas\u2019s election change. She sent a memo to the rest of the city council on Nov. 25 saying she planned to push for it.<\/p>\n

With the tight turnaround, some council districts have been soliciting resident feedback. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to make sure your voices are heard every step of the way of this process,\u201d Councilman Ric Galvan (D6) told residents in a video posted to his social media. <\/p>\n

Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran\u2019s (D3) office sent a text to constituents asking them to participate in an online poll. Viagran plans to keep it open until an expected vote on Dec. 18, but the Southeast Side councilwoman said she has also heard complaints before about voter fatigue with the number of elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s not for the May election or the November election, it\u2019s a primary, it\u2019s a runoff. So I think whatever we can do to kind of make those days come together, it would be helpful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) held a community feedback session Monday night, at which she expressed some of her own doubts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was voter-approved in Dallas through a charter election, and it was council approved as well,\u201d Alderete Gavito told the crowd. \u201cWhen Austin made this change, it was voter-approved. When El Paso made this change, it was voter-approved.”<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) told KSAT she wants to know about the potential financial consequences of swapping election dates on the local school districts that hold their elections alongside the city in May.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd since they need to tie their elections to a municipality, it could affect when they have their elections,\u201d she told KSAT in a recent interview. \u201cSo just want to make sure we\u2019re thinking through those components.”<\/p>\n

San Antonio voters changed the city charter in November 2024 to allow for four-year terms, to which council members were just elected in May and June. The next city council election isn\u2019t until 2029. <\/p>\n

The council is scheduled to discuss the possibility of moving the elections during a discussion-only meeting on Wednesday. A vote has not yet been scheduled.<\/p>\n

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