Early voting begins in city, school elections: Key races on ballot in Fort Worth area

Eleanor Dearman
·5 min read

School bonds, and city representatives, and appraisal districts — oh my! There’s a lot on the ballot in North Texas, as area cities and schools hold their local elections.

Election Day is May 4, but early voting begins Monday and runs through April 30.

Voters heading to the polls in a number of communities will pick who they want to serve on city council and as mayor. They’ll also pick school board members to help lead area districts, and, for the first time, elect three representatives to the Tarrant County Appraisal District’s board of directors.

Races to watch

Here are some of the races to watch as voters head to the polls.

  • Tarrant County Appraisal District: Texas voters in November approved a constitutional amendment that, among other things, created three elected positions on appraisal districts’ board of directors in counties with 75,000 or more people. That means voters will now have a say in who serves on board.

  • Fort Worth’s Proposition A: In Fort Worth, the only city measure on the ballot is a proposition to increase hotel taxes by 2%. The proposal is expected to generate $10 million in revenue for the city, which would go toward the expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center.

  • Mansfield school board: The Mansfield school district has two trustee positions on the ballot. Michelle Newsom, the president of Surepoint Emergency Centers and a current trustee, is running against construction project manager Matthew Herzberg for Place 1. In Place 2, Jandel Crutchfield, an associate professor of Social Work at UT Arlington, is running against Angel Hidalgo, a Spanish instructor at Tarrant County College. Ahead of early voting, the district declared Hidalgo ineligible for the election. He’s still on ballot, but if he wins, the position will be vacated and filled by a board appointee.

  • North Richland Hills mayor: Voters select retired CPA Jack McCarty or city council member Tito Rodriguez as their next mayor after longtime Mayor Oscar Trevino announced he isn’t seeking reelection. Three city council seats are also up for election.

  • Bedford mayor: The race for Bedford mayor is a three way contest between Mayor Dan Cogan, former mayor Jim Griffin and Eric “Big Juicy” Love, who was a leader of the push to pardon Joe Maldonado-Passage, aka Tiger King Joe Exotic. Two city council seats and several propositions are also on the ballot.

Find your sample ballot

Sample ballots for Tarrant County voters are available on the election website.

Early voting locations

Early voting locations and times are available on the Tarrant County election website.

The polls will be open:

  • April 22-26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • April 27 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

  • April 28 from 10 a.m. to 4p.m.

  • April 29-30 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tarrant County voters can go to any early voting location.

Some districts and cities are in multiple counties. For those who live outside of Tarrant County, locations are generally listed on the county’s election website or the website for the city or school district where you live.

Vote by mail

Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by Tuesday. Tarrant County voters are eligible to vote by mail if they are 65 or older, have a disability, are expected to give birth three weeks before or after Election Day, will be out of the county during the early voting period and on Election Day or if they are in jail or involuntary commitment.

Applications are available on the Tarrant County election website and can be returned by mail to the elections office (Early Voting Clerk, Tarrant County Elections Administration, PO Box 961011, Fort Worth, TX 76161-0011) or delivered in person (2700 Premier St., Fort Worth, TX 76111). Applications can also be emailed ( votebymail@tarrantcountytx.gov ) or faxed ( 817‐850‐2344 ), but the original application but be mailed in and received within four business days of emailing or faxing it in.

The application will ask for your Texas Driver’s License/ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you don’t know which was used on your voter registration record, it’s recommended to provide both numbers.

Ballots come in addressed envelopes but can also be delivered by hand by the ballot owner to the Tarrant County Election Administration office on Premier street.

Mail-in ballots can be tracked on the Texas Secretary of State website or the Tarrant County election website .

What to bring with you when you vote

You’ll need a photo ID when you vote in person. Eligible forms of identification are:

  • Texas driver’s license

  • Texas election identification certificate

  • Texas personal identification card

  • Handgun license

  • U.S. military ID card with your photo on it

  • U.S. citizen certificate with your photo on it

  • U.S. passport

If you don’t have one of this options, voters can also fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide a supporting form of ID (copy or original). That could be a:

Government document with your name and address, including a voter registration certificate.

  • Current utility bill

  • Bank statement

  • Government check

  • Paycheck

  • Birth certificate

What’s not allowed at the polls? Items not allowed include cell phones, tablets and laptops within 100 feet of a polling place. Cameras and recording video and sound also isn’t permitted. Same goes for firearms and wearing party apparel related to a candidate, measure or political party on the ballot.

Accommodations for voters with special needs

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that people with disabilities have equal access to voting. Information about accommodations for Tarrant County voters, including those wishing to utilize curbside voting, is available on the county’s election website.

Tarrant County uses the HART InterCivic Verity Touch Writer Duo Voting System to add those who are blind or who have limited vision or dexterity. Voters with conditions that “substantially impairs” their ability to move around get voting order priority and can be moved to the front of the line. Curbside voting is also an option for those who have trouble walking or standing for a long time.

Voters can also get assistance at the polls to help them vote or use an interpreter.

When’s the runoff election?

Races go into a runoff when a candidate doesn’t get more than 50% of votes. Runoffs will be held June 15, with early voting running from June 3 to 11.