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- election
Monday, December 4, 2023
The run-up to Election Day is getting started. Here’s what you need to know about voting in the upcoming May 6, 2023, General Election.
Important Dates
Early Voting Hours:
Voting information for Tarrant County and Denton County can be found online. If you have additional questions, please contact the City Secretary’s Office at 817-748-8183.
Updated information on the May 7, 2022, General Election for City Council, Places 3, 4 and 5.
The City Council called the May 7th General Election at their February 1st meeting. The City Council places with terms expiring this year are Places 3, 4 and 5. There was only one application received for each place and no declarations of write-in candidacy. As such, the City has an uncontested election. The unopposed candidates are:
City Council, Place 3 Shawn McCaskill
City Council, Place 4 Ronell Smith
City Council, Place 5 Amy Torres-Lepp
As allowed by law, on March 1, the City Council declared each unopposed candidate elected to office and canceled the General Election.
The unopposed candidates will be issued their certificates of election and will be sworn into office May 17, 2022.
The Carroll ISD Board of Trustees election information may be found on their website.
Please contact the City Secretary’s Office at 817-748-8183 for election information.
At the August 11, special City Council meeting, the Southlake City Council called for a special election to be held on November 2.
The special election will ask voters to consider issuance of not to exceed $50,000,000 of City of Southlake, Texas General Obligation Bonds for park (including open space and passive parks) improvements.
The ballot language is as follows:
“The issuance of not to exceed $50,000,000 of City of Southlake, Texas General Obligation Bonds for park, (including open space and passive parks) improvements, and the imposition of a tax sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds.”
If approved by voters, the total bond issuance would not exceed $50 million. There would be no increase in property tax to fund the program.
Special and General Election Information
Early voting for the November 2 Southlake Special Election begins on Monday, October 18. As a reminder, during the period of early voting, voters can vote at any polling location within their county. On Election Day, Tarrant County voters may also vote at any polling location, but this is not the same for Denton County voters, you must vote within your precinct on Election Day. As Southlake is located in two counties, information for each is shown below:
Tarrant County Information
Southlake Tarrant County voters can vote early in Southlake Town Hall every day from October 18 – October 29, as shown below:
| October 18 – October 22 | Monday – Friday | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
| October 23 | Saturday | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
| October 24 | Sunday | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
| October 25-October 29 | Monday – Friday | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
| November 2 | Tuesday | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
For Tarrant County voters, voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2 will be at Southlake Town Hall, 1400 Main Street, Southlake, 76092, from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Denton County Information
Southlake Denton County voters can vote early at the Trophy Club MUD No. 1 Building, 100 Municipal Drive, Trophy Club, Texas, 76262, as listed below.
| October 18 – October 22 | Monday – Friday | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
| October 23 | Saturday | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. |
| October 24 | Sunday | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
| October 25-October 29 | Monday – Friday | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
| November 2 | Tuesday | 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
For Denton County voters, voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2, will also be at Trophy Club MUD No. 1 Building, 100 Municipal Drive, Trophy Club, Texas, 76262 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
More information can be found at www.CityofSouthlake.com/Elections.
The Community Engagement Committee (CEC) is hosting the virtual SPIN Town Hall Candidate Forums for the public to hear from candidates for Southlake mayor, City Council and the Carroll ISD Board of Trustees.
SPIN is a non-political program dedicated to facilitating citizen engagement and communication between residents and the City. The CEC is a group of citizen volunteers who oversee and facilitate SPIN events. This hosted session is intended to provide an opportunity to familiarize residents with each of the City Council candidates and their platforms.
The virtual SPIN Town Hall Forum for mayor and City Council candidates takes place on Wednesday, April 7, from 6 – 8 p.m. The virtual forum for Carroll ISD Board of Trustees candidates takes place on Monday, April 12, from 6 – 8 p.m.
Forums will be broadcast on the City’s cable channel (Frontier channel 34 and Spectrum digital channel 190) and online via Video on Demand. A recording of the forums will be made available within 48 hours of the end of the program.
The candidate forums are a public opportunity to familiarize residents with each of the candidates:
Mayoral and City Council Candidates
Mayor
Place 2
Place 5
Carroll ISD Board of Trustees Candidates
Place 4
Place 5
Program
Both forums will use a virtual format. Questions for the candidates should be submitted using the links below:
Submit a question for City Council candidates.
Submit a question for Carroll ISD School Board candidates.
All questions must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. March 26 — no questions will be accepted after this date or during the forum. Similar questions may be consolidated or edited for clarity by the CEC.
Make sure you’re ready for either early voting, starting April 19 or election day, May 1. For more information about the election, visit CityofSouthlake.com/Elections.
Councilmember-elects Kathy Talley and Randy Williamson are scheduled to take the oath of office as City of Southlake councilmembers during the November 17 City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m.
Can’t make it to the meeting? You can watch the Council meeting live or on-demand through our video service.
Talley will serve as the councilmember for Place 1. She has lived in Southlake for 24 years and has been an active part of philanthropy and volunteer organizations. Her volunteer service includes Art in the Square, Southlake Women’s Club, National Charity League, Carroll Education Foundation and Metroport Meals on Wheels. She previously worked in education.
Williamson will serve as the councilmember for Place 6 and has lived in Southlake since 2005. He previously served on the Southlake City Council from 2013-2019 and served as mayor pro tem for four years. During his time on Council, he served on the Southlake Parks Development Corporation, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board of Directors and the SH 114 Corridor Committee.
Outgoing City Councilmembers Dr. Shahid Shafi and Chris Archer will also be recognized for their service to the Southlake community. Shafi reached his term limit and Archer did not seek re-election.
Shafi was elected as the Place 1 councilmember in 2014. During his time on the Council, he served on the Metroport Teen Court Committee, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Committee and the Southlake Parks Development Corporation. He has been a Southlake resident since 2004.
Archer was elected as the Place 6 councilmember in 2017 and previously served on the Bob Jones Center Board. He is also active with the Southlake Chamber of Commerce, Carroll ISD Board of Trustees and the Carroll Education Foundation. He has lived in Southlake since 1998.
Before you head to the polls, cross these items off your list!
For more about the 2020 Elections, visit CityofSouthlake.com/2020Elections.
Election season is here! With only a few weeks before for the next election, here are some important upcoming dates.
For more information about voting, visit the following webpages:
When it comes to partnerships, Tarrant and Denton Counties have a long history of working with Southlake for the greater good, which is why collaborating on the election process is a win!
Our partnerships helps the City keep costs down by sharing expenses with other municipalities and allow better governance during the election process.
All elections are handled through their respective election administrators, who manage and coordinate the election process with election judges and clerks. They also hire, train and supervise election staff, supply voting equipment, provide office supplies and place state postings.
Another major benefit to the partnerships is that both the City and County staff members share expertise and knowledge about the laws, procedures, practices, documentation and equipment, which allows the policies to be clear and adaptable and priorities consistent across the board. These partnerships also provide an alternative method of service delivery to our citizens by streamlining an efficient election process, whether that be municipal, county, state, federal, school district, general or special elections.
By strategically partnering with agencies and organizations like these, our City can continue to move forward and elevate our community.
As early voting wraps up for the Constitutional Amendment Special election, voters can still cast their vote on Election Day which takes place on Tuesday, November 5.
This year’s ballot consists of 10 propositions that may need a little translating, so let’s take a look and see what they mean.
Proposition 1:
“The constitutional amendment permitting a person to hold more than one office as a municipal judge at the same time.”
Translation:
This would allow elected or appointed municipal judges to hold more than one office at the same time.
Proposition 2:
“The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $200 million to provide financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.”
Translation:
This would allow the Texas Water Development Board to issue bonds on a continuing basis, but not exceeding $200 million to provide financial assistance for development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.
Proposition 3:
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of certain property damaged by a disaster.”
Translation:
This would allow the legislature to temporarily exempt from ad valorem taxation on a portion of certain property located in areas that are declared as disaster areas.
Proposition 4:
“The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of an individual income tax, including a tax on an individual’s share of partnership and unincorporated association.”
Translation:
This would prohibit the state from imposing or collecting an individual income tax.
Proposition 5:
“The constitutional amendment dedicating the revenue received from the existing state sales and use taxes that are imposed on sporting goods to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to protect Texas’ natural areas, water quality, and history by acquiring, managing, and improving state and local parks and historic sites while not increasing the rate of the state sales and use taxes.”
Translation:
This would allow the net revenue from the sales tax of sporting goods to be put toward the Texas Parks and Wildfire Department and the Texas Historical Commission.
Proposition 6:
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to increase by $3 billion the maximum bond amount authorized for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.”
Translation:
This would increase the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas bond maximum amount from the $3 billion to $6 billion
Proposition 7:
“The constitutional amendment allowing increased distributions to the available school fund.”
Translation:
This would increase the amount of distributions the General Land Office can transfer to the Available School Fund from $300 million to $600 million. It will also allow the State Board of Education and other entities to direct funds from land-related proceeds.
Proposition 8:
“The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the flood infrastructure fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.”
Translation:
A Flood Infrastructure Fund would be created and allow the Texas Water Development Board to use the fund for projects related to drainage, flood mitigation and flood control projects.
Proposition 9:
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation precious metal held in a precious metal depository located in this state.”
Translation:
This means that precious metal depositories located in Texas would be exempt from taxation.
Proposition 10:
“The constitutional amendment to allow the transfer of a law enforcement animal to a qualified caretaker in certain circumstances.”
Translation:
This means that animals who previously worked with law enforcement would be able to be adopted by the handler or a another caretaker.
The City of Southlake does not have any items to be voted on in the November 2019 election. To view the sample ballot click here.
Election Day schedules, locations and maps for your precinct can be found by using Tarrant County’s Interactive Voter Lookup. Results will be released by Tarrant County as they become available.
For additional questions regarding the conduct of the elections please contact the Tarrant County Elections Offices at 817-831-8683.