Saturday is Election Day for many municipal and county-wide races across North Texas, and while thousands have cast their ballots already through early voting, overall turnout remains low.
Thursday was the last day of early voting, and 69,000 total registered voters cast their ballots early in Dallas County — representing about 5% of total voters in the county. Polls open at 7 a.m. Saturday and will be open until 7 p.m., though anyone in line before 7 p.m. will be allowed to stay in line until they vote.
Dallas County will have over 400 voting locations available to voters Saturday. Tarrant County will have about 160 locations, Collin County will have about 60 locations and Denton County will have at least 200 locations.
After Saturday, at least four new faces will join Dallas’ City Council.
Incumbents from districts 4, 6 and 8 — council members Carolyn King Arnold, Omar Narvaez and Tennell Atkins — have reached their term limits. In District 11, council member Jaynie Schultz has chosen not to run for re-election.
Multiple other seats are up for grabs as incumbents face challengers. Every seat but District 14 is contested. Evolving issues related to infrastructure and public safety, have made the remaining council districts competitive.
Still, the City Council election turnouts are typically low. Historically, election turnout has struggled to go beyond 10%, and it appears the trend is unlikely to change after polls close at 7 p.m. Saturday.
More than dozen Collin County cities are holding elections for city council seats, including contested mayoral races in McKinney, Melissa and Sachse.
Plano voters also are voting on seven bond propositions totaling $648 million — the largest in the city’s history. Proposals include $316.5 million bond for street improvements and a $155.2 million bond that would fund a new police headquarters. In Frisco, voters are considering a pair of propositions, including a $160 million bond for the construction of a long-stalled Frisco Center for the Arts project.
In addition to board races at 10 school districts in the county, including Allen, Frisco and Prosper, voters in Collin County will also decide the fate of more than $3.5 billion in bonds that school districts in the area say are needed for new campuses, as well as updates to existing equipment and facilities.
The Celina ISD has by far the largest – a nearly $2.3 billion in bonds.
