SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio municipal election is slated for May 1, the first Saturday in May.
On the ballot will be a rematch between two mayoral candidates, all 10 city council seats, a proposition aimed at repealing the police department’s collective bargaining right and a proposed change to the City Charter.
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We’ve collected everything you need to know about voting in the 2021 city election below. (Sumbit questions to candidates via KSAT here.)
How to vote
If you plan to vote in the May election, you must be a resident of the City of San Antonio and be registered to vote in Bexar County.
If you haven’t registered, you need to have your voter application postmarked or delivered to the Voter Registration Office at least 30 days before the election - by April 1, in this case. Click here to learn how to get an application.
Find out if you are a San Antonio resident and which city council and school district you are in here.
Voters can vote by mail if they meet certain requirements. To receive a mail-in ballot, residents must be 65 years of age or older, disabled, out of the county at the time of the election or in jail without a conviction to be eligible.
Eligible residents must submit an application for a mailed ballot on the Elections Department website. This needs to be done each calendar year to be eligible and no later than 11 days before election day.
Early voting for the 2021 San Antonio municipal election begins on Monday, April 19 and ends on Tuesday, April 27.
Election Day is Saturday, May 1. A run-off election will be held on Saturday, June 5, if necessary.
San Antonio Mayor
In the race for San Antonio mayor, incumbent Ron Nirenberg and former city councilman Greg Brockhouse headline a 14-candidate field.
The two are no strangers to each other in politics and they could be involved in another bitter battle for mayor as in 2019, when Brockhouse forced Nirenberg into a runoff, with the mayor defeating his challenger by only 2,690 votes or 2.2 percentage points.
Nirenberg was first elected as mayor after defeating incumbent Ivy Taylor in a runoff election in 2017.
Brockhouse was elected to City Council in 2017 and has served in several senior roles for other City Council members. He served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years. He is a graduate of Texas State University.
List of mayoral candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Jacque L. Miller, Military
- Justin Macaluso, Director of Quality and Manufacturing
- Gary Allen, Retired Teacher
- Frank Adam Muniz, Counselor, attorney
- Antonio “Tony” Diaz
- Ron Nirenberg, Incumbent
- Michael “Commander” Idrogo, Retired military
- John M. Velasquez, Psychologist
- Dan Martinez, Retired
- Denise Gutierrez-Homer, Businesswoman, Advocate
- Greg Brockhouse, Self-employed, former SA City Councilman
- Ray Basaldua, Roofer
- Joshua James Galvan, Self-employed
- Tim Atwood, Teacher
San Antonio City Council District 1
Incumbent Roberto Trevino is seeking a third term in office. Trevino was appointed as an interim councilman in December 2014. He scored election victories in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
List of District 1 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Mario Bravo, Project Manager
- Roberto C. Trevino, Incumbent, architect
- Cyndi Dominguez, Financial Professional
- Lauro A. Bustamante, Attorney
- Raymond Zavala, Retired
- Matthew J. Gauna, Environmental Consultant
San Antonio City Council District 2
Incumbent Jada Andrews-Sullivan faces a crowded field of 11 challengers as she seeks a second term in office. Andrews-Sullivan defeated incumbent Keith Toney by less than 100 votes in a runoff election in 2019.
A list of District 2 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Nneka “Miss Neka” Cleaver, Owner of Thai Hub
- Walter Perry Sr., Professional tax preparer
- Jada Andrews-Sullivan, Incumbent
- Pharoah Clark, Chef, caretaker
- Kristi Villanueva, Business owner
- Michael John Good, Construction, Logistics
- Norris Tyrone Darden, Educator
- Chris Dawkins, Business owner
- Dori Brown, Tax preparer
- Andrew Fernandez Vicencio, Retired military
- Carl Booker, Publisher
- Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Teacher
San Antonio City Council District 3
For the first time since 2013, voters in District 3 will not see City Councilman Rebecca Viagran on the ballot. Due to term limits, Viagran cannot seek another term, which opens the door for someone new to lead the district.
A list of District 3 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Rodolfo “Rudy” Lopez, Self-employed
- Mark Arthur Vargas Jr., Educator
- Rafael C. Vela, (Not listed)
- Angela Cardona, Executive Assistant/Community Relations
- Walter Murray, Business owner
- Ted Gonzalez, Sales manager
- Katherine Herrera Garza,
- Tomas Uresti, Self-employed
- Phyllis Viagran, Trainer at Oats Senior Planet
- Stephen “Steve” Valdez, Communications
- Marcello Martinez, Architect
- Diana Flores Uriegas, PSR
San Antonio City Council District 4
Incumbent Adriana Rocha is looking to serve District 4 for a second term. Rocha faces three challengers in May after winning in a runoff in 2019.
A list of District 4 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Adriana Rocha Garcia, Incumbent
- Curtis Mueller, IT/SA Advocate
- David Tristan, Business owner
- Raymond Guzman, Mathematician
San Antonio City Council District 5
District 5 will also have a new representative due to term limits. City Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales will be leaving office after four terms.
A list of District 5 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Anthony Gres, Business owner
- Jason Mata, Nonprofit executive
- Ray Garza, Retired
- Irma G. Barron, Self-employed
- Teri Castillo, Substitute teacher
- David Yanez, Attorney
- Marie Crabb, Realtor
- Rudy Lopez, Retired
- Norberto “Geremy” Landin, VP of operations
- Ricardo Moreno, Assistant Principal
- Jesse J. Alaniz, Retired
San Antonio City Council District 6
Incumbent Melissa Cabello Havrda will face four challengers in her quest for a second term to represent District 6. Cabello Havrda defeated Andy Greene in the 2019 June runoff election.
A list of District 6 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Irma Rudolph, Business Owner
- Chris Baecker, Accountant, adjunct lecturer
- Melissa Cabello Havrda, Incumbent, attorney
- Robert Hernandez, Housing liaison
- Robert Walker, Business owner
San Antonio City Council District 7
Incumbent Ana Sandoval is seeking her third term in office. Since Sandoval only faces one challenger, this may the only race decided on Election Day.
A list of District 7 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Patricia Ann Varela, Retired military
- Ana E. Sandoval, Incumbent
San Antonio City Council District 8
Manny Pelaez is seeking a third term in office. Pelaez won his first term in 2017 in a runoff and won easily in 2019.
A list of District 8 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Suzanne McCarty, Pricing
- Manny Pelaez, Incumbent, attorney
- Cesario Garcia, Self-employed
- Rob Rodriguez, Real estate broker
- Tammy K. Orta, Registered nurse
San Antonio City Council District 9
John Courage faces four challengers as he seeks a third term in office. Among the opponents is Patrick Von Dohlen, who failed to secure enough votes in the 2019 election to force a runoff.
A list of District 9 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Cory Dennington, Business operations
- Erika Moe, Attorney
- Patrick Von Dohlen, Self-employed financial planner
- Antonio Salinas, College student
- John Courage, Incumbent, Former teacher
San Antonio City Council District 10
Incumbent Clayton Perry is seeking a third term in office. He will face four challengers, including Ezra Johnson, who forced Perry into a runoff in 2017.
A list of District 10 candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:
- Emily Norwood, (none)
- Alexander Svehla, Educator
- Clayton Perry, Incumbent
- Ezra Johnson, Administrative Law Judge
- Gabrien Gregory, Army officer
Proposition B
San Antonio voters will also decide a proposition aimed at repealing the collective bargaining rights for the San Antonio Police Officers Association, the union that represents officer with the San Antonio Police Department.
Voters will now choose whether to opt out of a state law that provides collective bargaining rights for San Antonio police officers in the May 1 election. If voters approve the measure, the police union would not have the ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreements, a contract between the union and the city on how wages and the discipline process will operate.
Effectively, if voters approve measure, the police union’s leverage over negotiations with city officials would be kneecapped.
Read more here.
Proposed charter change for bond projects
San Antonio voters will decide whether to change the city charter that could offer more flexibility in what kind of projects the city can fund with bond money.
If approved, the charter change would allow the city to use bond dollars, which are also approved by voters - generally every five years, for things like acquiring properties for land banking, paying for home rehabilitation projects or helping to pay for new construction.
Current city charter language restricts bond dollars to “public works.”