Voters guide to upcoming municipal election
Published Mar 7, 2023
Fort Worth voters will choose a mayor and expanded council this spring.
The municipal election, scheduled for Saturday, May 6, includes 11 council seats, reflecting the expansion of districts to match the city’s growth. The deadline for requesting early voting ballots is at 5 p.m. on April 25. Early voting is set for April 24 – May 2.
Districts 10 and 11 were added last year after the city redrew boundaries based on 2020 census data. The changes redistributed the city’s population and could have shifted people from one district to another.
Candidate filing in the May 6 municipal election ended Friday. Go online to see if you will reside in a new district.
— City of Fort Worth (@CityofFortWorth) February 21, 2023
The ballot is non-partisan. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates who received the most votes move to a runoff.
Who’s running
Mayor Mattie Parker is facing five challengers in her bid for a second term. They are:
- Christopher Rector
- Ken Bowens Jr.
- Alyson Kennedy
- Jennifer Castillo
- Adrian Devine Smith
Districts 2, 3 and 8 are uncontested; the incumbents aren’t facing challengers:
- Carlos Flores represents District 2.
- Michael Crain represents District 3.
- Chris Nettles represents District 8.
The other districts have contested races:
- District 4: This district is represented by Alan Blaylock, but he is running to represent the newly drawn District 10. Teresa Gonzales and Charles Lauesdorf are vying to represent District 4.
- District 5: Incumbent and Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens faces three challengers: William McKinley Jackson, Gerardo Sanchez Corona and Bob Willoughby.
- District 6: Incumbent Jared Williams, faces Italia De La Cruz and Tonya Carter.
- District 7: Jason Ellis, Caleb Backholm and Macy Hill are running for the seat.
- District 9: Incumbent Elizabeth Beck faces Taylor Mondick, Jason Pena, Chris Reed and Pamela Boggess. (District 9 includes TCU and the 76109 zip code)
- District 10: Blaylock faces Brandon Jones.
- District 11: This race has the most candidates — Jeanette Martinez, Rick Herring, Tara Maldonado-Wilson, Cristal Galvan, Christopher Johnson and Ricardo Avitia.
Defining the districts
District maps and what district your neighborhood belongs to can be found here.