With the May 3rd municipal election upon us, San Antonio voters have an intimidating task ahead of them. With a plethora of open seats, several of which have a long list of people running for them, getting informed before you go to the polls is a must. Luckily a large variety of resources to help you make an informed choice this election have been put together by groups around our city. Whether you’re looking for in-depth issue analysis, a breakdown of candidates, or simply where to vote, these guides cover all the bases.
Don’t forget, Early Voting began Tuesday, April 22 and runs through Tuesday, April 29. Bexar County registered voters can vote at ANY vote center throughout the county. You don’t have to wait until May 3 to cast your ballot.
Here’s our round up of nonpartisan voter guides!
San Antonio Express-News
The San Antonio Express-News has taken a unique approach to voting guides by allowing you to fill out a sample ballot digitally. This allows you to know all the choices you’ll see on election day as well as their location in the list. For many positions your chosen candidate may be tens of spots down the list, so knowing their general location is vital.
San Antonio Report
The San Antonio Report is plentiful with its information, providing individual guides for each section of the ballot this year. The Report largely links back to the candidates websites after a brief description. You should also check out their Local Gov 101 resources while you’re there!
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters has been the go-to voting guide for many San Antonio voters because of their rich commentary on issues while maintaining an unbiased yet informative view point. The guide is available in English, Spanish and Arabic. You can find the printed version at San Antonio Public Library branches or use the online version at vote411.org.
Texas Public Radio
Texas Public Radio offers an in depth guide on the how, and specifics of voting. Their guides include documentation on the ins and outs of the polling location you will visit on election day, and the specifics on individual candidates. Their candidate guide is detail rich and will give you a great perspective on how they line up with your own vision for San Antonio.
Bexar County Elections Department
Bexar County Elections, while not providing a typical voter guide, does provide voters with personalized sample ballots and voting locations so you can be prepared before you arrive at the polls. These are useful as many of the positions have dozens of names on the ballot this year so getting to know where your candidate’s name appears on the list will speed up your voting times. Locating your closest polling location will also ensure you’re not driving too far from your house to do your civic duty!
- Map of Early Voting locations
- Schedule for Early Voting
- Get your PERSONAL Sample Ballot when you Check your voter registration
- Schedule and locations for Election Day vote centers
Vote Texas
Similar to the Bexar County Elections department, Vote Texas is the state of Texas’ official tool to check your registration, track your mail in ballot, or check election data. This site is run by the Texas Secretary of State. You can also find the list of acceptable forms of ID.
Texas Tribune
Texas Tribune provides a state wide overview of the election with a summary for all of Texas’ most important roles up for grabs. The Tribune also provides voters with a highly informative guide on what to do in some of the more niche scenarios you might run into at the polls, like your registration being suspended.
