What Arlington voters need to know before the May 2 election
Arlington TX – The May 2 ballot includes a four-way mayor’s race, four contested council seats, and a street-tax renewal that pays for most road upkeep.
Arlington’s May 2 election is not just a mayoral race. Voters will also decide four contested City Council seats and whether to renew the quarter-cent street maintenance sales tax that the city says covers about 90% of its annual street-maintenance budget. For residents, commuters and business owners, that makes this ballot as much about basic city services as campaign politics.
What is on the ballot
According to the City of Arlington, the ballot includes the mayor’s race, single-member council races in Districts 3, 4 and 5, the at-large District 8 council race, and a separate proposition on the street-maintenance sales tax.
The mayor’s race has four candidates: Hunter Crow, Jim Ross, Shaun Mallory and Steve Cavender.
District 3 has Kelly R. Burke and Nikkie Hunter. District 4 has Tom Ware, Rojo Meixueiro and Lisa J. Ventura. District 5 has Rebecca Boxall and Brittney Garcia-Dumas. District 8 has Jason Shelton, Melody Fowler and Corey Harris.
Dates Arlington voters should know
The voter-registration deadline was Thursday, April 2, so new registrations for this election have already closed. Tarrant County says applications for a ballot by mail must be received by Monday, April 20.
Early voting runs from Monday, April 20, through Tuesday, April 28. Arlington’s election page notes one exception: there is no early voting on Tuesday, April 21, because of San Jacinto Day. Election Day is Saturday, May 2.
For people who are already registered, the practical next step is simple: confirm your voting options, decide whether to vote early or on Election Day, and do not assume the calendar is a straight run because of the April 21 gap.
Why the street-tax question matters
The tax proposition may be the most concrete service issue on the ballot. Arlington says the existing quarter-cent street maintenance sales tax is the primary funding source for day-to-day roadway work and currently brings in about $25 million to $30 million a year.
That revenue typically pays for about 90% of the city’s annual street-maintenance budget. In practical terms, this is the money stream behind pothole repairs, resurfacing, crack sealing, concrete panel replacement, sidewalk replacement and ADA ramp installation.
The city is framing the measure as a renewal, not a new tax. The current authorization, last approved in 2018, is set to expire on January 1, 2027. If voters approve the measure, the city says the tax would continue through December 31, 2034.
There are also limits voters should know. Arlington says state law does not allow this money to build new roads or repair streets and sidewalks the city does not own. The question is about maintaining existing city infrastructure, not expanding it.
What to watch before May 2
The political headline is the four-way mayor’s race, but the broader story is how much competition is packed into one city ballot. Multiple council contests are contested, and the street-funding proposition gives voters a direct say in a routine but expensive part of city government.
Dallas Morning News has published voter-guide material, including candidate questionnaires in the mayor’s race, which can help voters compare priorities before early voting starts. Still, the clearest resident takeaway is less about campaign rhetoric than about what this ballot will decide: who runs City Hall, and whether Arlington keeps its current dedicated funding stream for street upkeep.
Between now and May 2, the main open questions are turnout, whether incumbents hold their seats, and how voters treat the tax renewal when it is separated from the candidate races. Those results will say a lot about what Arlington voters want from city government next.
