Municipal elections in Dallas, Texas (2017)
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| 2017 Dallas elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: February 17, 2017 |
| General election: May 6, 2017 Runoff election: June 10, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: City council |
| Total seats up: 14 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
Runoff elections took place in Districts 6, 7, and 8. The incumbents were defeated by a challenger in each of these races. District 4 incumbent Carolyn King Arnold was defeated by former council member Dwaine Caraway in the general election. Incumbents won re-election in the other 10 districts.
Allegations of voter fraud led to a criminal investigation by the Dallas County District Attorney's office concerning 671 mail-in ballots cast in the District 2 and 6 races. As part of the investigation, there were delays in completing the vote count in both the general and runoff elections.
There were 11 ballot measures on the ballot in Dallas on November 7, 2017.Elections
Runoff
District 6
☐ Monica Alonzo (i)
☑ Omar Narvaez
District 7
☐ Tiffinni A. Young (i)
☑ Kevin Felder
District 8
☐ Eric Wilson (i)
☑ Tennell Atkins
General
District 1
☑ Scott Griggs (i)
☐ Stephen Winn
District 2
☑ Adam Medrano (i)
☐ Brian Ostrander
District 3
☑ Casey Thomas II (i)
☐ Joe Tave
District 4
☐ Carolyn King Arnold (i)
☑ Dwaine Caraway
District 5
☑ Rick Callahan (i)
☐ Dominique Torres
District 6
Monica Alonzo (i)
☐ Tony Carrillo
☐ Gil Cerda
☐ Alex Dickey
Omar Narvaez
☐ Linus Spiller
District 7
Tiffinni A. Young (i)
☐ Adam Bazaldua
☐ Marvin Crenshaw
Kevin Felder
☐ Tammy Johnston
☐ James Turknett
District 8
Eric Wilson (i)
Tennell Atkins
☐ Moctezuma Seth Gonzalez
☐ Gail Terrell
☐ Eric Williams
District 9
☑ Mark Clayton (i)
☐ Arthur Adams Jr.
District 10
☑ Adam McGough (i)
District 11
☑ Lee Kleinman (i)
☐ Candy Evans
District 12
☑ Sandy Greyson (i)
District 13
☑ Jennifer Staubach Gates (i)
District 14
☑ Philip Kingston (i)
☐ Kim Welch
☐ Matt Wood
Campaign finance
The following table details campaign finance information submitted by city council candidates for the reporting period ending on April 26, 2017. The bolded candidates advanced to a runoff and filed additional reports for a filing period ending on May 31, 2017.
| City council campaign finance amounts[2] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | ||
| District 1 | Scott Griggs (i) | $79,798 | $34,166 | ||
| Stephen Winn | $2,243 | $4,669 | |||
| District 2 | Adam Medrano (i) | $33,051 | $14,401 | ||
| Brian Ostrander | $0 | $0 | |||
| District 3 | Casey Thomas II | $33,075 | $15,990 | ||
| Joe Tave | $3,320 | $5,934 | |||
| District 4 | Carolyn King Arnold (i) | $11,350 | $4,603 | ||
| Dwaine Caraway | $69,675 | $66,117 | |||
| District 5 | Rick Callahan (i) | $74,801 | $29,611 | ||
| Dominique Torres | $13,736 | $9,985 | |||
| District 6 | Monica Alonzo (i) | $169,575 | $153,802 | ||
| Tony Carrillo | $1,200 | $608 | |||
| Gil Cerda | $2,230 | $5,660 | |||
| Alex Dickey | $6,725 | $2,676 | |||
| Omar Narvaez | $66,210 | $47,404 | |||
| Linus Spiller | $1,615 | $1,115 | |||
| District 7 | Tiffinni A. Young (i) | $69,360 | $41,711 | ||
| Adam Bazaldua | $10,759 | $9,903 | |||
| Marvin Crenshaw | - | - | |||
| Kevin Felder | $26,130 | $16,437 | |||
| Tammy Johnston | $12,390 | $20,287 | |||
| James Turknett | $1,140 | $783 | |||
| District 8 | Eric Wilson (i) | $63,550 | $67,760 | ||
| Tennell Atkins | $107,350 | $125,736 | |||
| Moctezuma Seth Gonzalez | $0 | $0 | |||
| Gail Terrell | $3,640 | $10,709 | |||
| Eric Williams | $2,000 | $2,210 | |||
| District 9 | Mark Clayton (i) | $29,235 | $2,016 | ||
| Arthur Adams Jr. | - | - | |||
| District 10 | Adam McGough (i) | - | - | ||
| District 11 | Lee Kleinman (i) | $169,250 | $130,876 | ||
| Candy Evans | $33,485 | $29,799 | |||
| District 12 | Sandy Greyson (i) | - | - | ||
| District 13 | Jennifer Staubach Gates (i) | - | - | ||
| District 14 | Philip Kingston (i) | $125,339 | $73,406 | ||
| Kim Welch | - | - | |||
| Matt Wood | $100,800 | $89,961 | |||
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
November ballot measures
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the continued operation of Dallas County Schools (DCS), the transportation services provided by DCS, and the continuation of the ad valorem property tax levied by DCS throughout Dallas County. |
| A no vote was a vote against the continued operation of Dallas County Schools (DCS), thereby (1) shutting down the DCS district through a transition period managed by a dissolution committee, (2) ending the countywide property tax levy once all outstanding district bonds are repaid, and (3) leaving student transportation up to each school district to which DCS was providing services. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $534 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of streets and pedestrian walkways. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $534 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of streets and pedestrian walkways. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the city to issue $262 million in general obligation bonds—a type of government debt—to fund the improvement of parks and recreation facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against authorizing the city to issue $262 million in general obligation bonds—a type of government debt—to fund the improvement of parks and recreation facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the city to issue $50 million in general obligation bonds—a type of government debt— to fund the improvement of Fair Park facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against authorizing the city to issue $50 million in general obligation bonds—a type of government debt— to fund the improvement of Fair Park facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $49 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of flood protection and storm drainage facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $49 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of flood protection and storm drainage facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $16 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of library facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $16 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of library facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $14 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of cultural and arts facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $14 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of cultural and arts facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $32 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of public safety facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $32 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of public safety facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $18 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of city hall and city facilities. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $18 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund the improvement of city hall and city facilities. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $55 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund economic development and housing. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $55 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund economic development and housing. |
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of increasing the city's debt by $20 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund services for the homeless. |
| A no vote was a vote against increasing the city's debt by $20 million by issuing general obligation bonds in that amount to fund services for the homeless. |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2017
The Dallas City Council election shared the ballot with elections for three seats on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees.
Issues
Voter fraud investigation
The ballot count for Dallas' council runoff elections extended beyond election night due to a sequester of mail-in ballots ordered by Judge Carl Ginsberg in early June. Ginsberg based his ruling on allegations of voter fraud dating back to May 8, 2017.[3] On that date, the Dallas County District Attorney's office launched a criminal investigation into allegations of voter fraud in the election that took place two days earlier.[4]
In the week before the election, due to a request by Assistant District Attorney Andy Chatham, Judge Emily G. Tobolowsky sequestered 671 mail-in ballots that were deemed suspicious. Of the sequestered ballots, 426 were for the District 6 race and 245 were for the District 2 race.[5]
Unofficial vote totals in the District 6 race showed Omar Narvaez advancing to a runoff election against incumbent Monica Alonzo. With 426 sealed ballots, however, Narvaez's 48-vote lead over Alex Dickey could have been affected. The county elections office had go through the mail-in ballots to identify and count any legitimate votes.[4] Vote counting was completed on the Thursday following the election.[6]
On May 17, the Dallas City Council voted to accept the results from the county. Some were uncomfortable doing so, like Councilman Adam McGough who said he didn't have confidence in the process. Councilwoman Jennifer Staubach Gates said the city should consider holding its own elections, instead of holding joint elections with the county.[7]
The county began receiving complaints in April from elderly residents in West Dallas claiming that they had received mail-in ballots that they had not requested. The county said it had received applications for mail-in ballots which showed the residents' signatures. The applications had also been signed by Jose Rodriguez, claiming to have helped the residents fill out the applications. One affected voter, Mary Milam, said she did not know anyone named Jose Rodriguez. "I'm angry. How are you just going to forge my name? That's wrong," she said. The county said that Jose Rodriguez was likely a fake name. Several residents in the area reported that a man showed up at their house, claiming to work for the county and said he was picking up mail-in ballots.[8]
Sidney Williams, a campaign worker, provided recorded audio to the Dallas County District Attorney’s office in which he talks to another campaign worker named Jose Barrientos. In the recording, according to a May 17 article published by WFAA, Barrientos tells Williams that someone in the county election's office discloses which days mail-in ballots are being sent out to which zip codes in exchange for money. In response to Williams saying that the signature of Jose Rodriguez looked like Barrientos' signature, Barrientos said, "Maybe. Maybe not. I'll never tell."[9]
Barrientos told WFAA that he had not been involved in anything illegal and that he had never used the name Jose Rodriguez. He told FOX4 that he talked to Williams about it in order to expose the problem of voter fraud.[10] A day after the WFAA article came out, Chatham said that Williams and Barrientos were both persons of interest in the case.[11]
In early June, an arrest warrant was issued for a different man, Miguel Hernandez, on a charge of illegal voting. In July, he received a formal charge of second-degree felony illegal voting. Hernandez had become a person of interest due to information provided by a resident named Pat Stephens. When a man came to her home asking to collect her ballot, Stephens asked to see his ID and took a photo of it with her phone. The ID showed Hernandez's name, date of birth, and address.[12][13]
About the city
- See also: Dallas, Texas
Dallas is a city in Texas and the seat of Dallas County. As of 2010, its population was 1,197,816.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Dallas uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.
Most cities in the United States with populations over 1 million use a strong mayor system, in which the mayor—instead of a city manager—serves as the city's chief executive. In 2005, a measure was placed on the ballot in Dallas that would have removed the office of the city manager and increased mayoral powers. Sixty-two percent of Dallas voters, however, disapproved of the proposal. As a result, the city retained its council-manager system.[14]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Dallas, Texas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dallas | Texas | |
| Population | 1,197,816 | 25,145,561 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 340 | 261,266 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 62.7% | 74% |
| Black/African American | 24.3% | 12.1% |
| Asian | 3.4% | 4.8% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | 6.9% | 5.8% |
| Multiple | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 41.8% | 39.3% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 77.5% | 83.7% |
| College graduation rate | 33.4% | 29.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $52,580 | $61,874 |
| Persons below poverty level | 18.9% | 14.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Dallas Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Dallas, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Dallas, Texas, "Upcoming Elections," accessed February 18, 2017
- ↑ City of Dallas, "Campaign Finance Electronic Filing System," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ Dallas News, "Voter fraud concerns mean Dallas runoff election results could remain a mystery Saturday night," June 10, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dallas News, "Criminal investigation opens into West Dallas voter fraud after 'off the charts' allegations," May 8, 2017
- ↑ Dallas News, "Court ordered 671 mail-in ballots in race for Dallas City Council under lock and key. Here's what happens now," May 7, 2017
- ↑ Dallas Observer, "What We Know — And What We Don't — About the Ongoing Voter Fraud Investigation in West Dallas," May 22, 2017
- ↑ Dallas News, "Amid investigation into voter fraud, Dallas council reluctantly accepts election results," May 17, 2017
- ↑ Dallas News, "'I feel violated': Senior citizens rattled by voter fraud in West Dallas, Grand Prairie," May 4, 2017
- ↑ WFAA.com, "Whistleblower alleges voter fraud extends into Dallas County elections office," May 17, 2017
- ↑ FOX4, "Person of interest in Dallas voter fraud case claims no wrongdoing," May 17, 2017
- ↑ Dallas News, "Whistleblower in West Dallas voter fraud case is person of interest in investigation," May 18, 2017
- ↑ Dallas News, "Prosecutors issue first arrest warrant in West Dallas voter fraud case," June 2, 2017
- ↑ U.S. News and World Report, "Dallas Man Indicted in Voter Fraud Case," July 11, 2017
- ↑ Texas Monthly, "What's the Matter with Dallas?" July 2005
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