Time is running out for residents to get involved in local government and school boards, with Feb. 14 marked as the deadline to file for a place on the May 3 ballot.

The cities of Live Oak, Selma, Garden Ridge and Universal City alongside Judson ISD will have positions up for election in May.

Applicants can submit candidate information to the secretary’s office of the municipality or school district.

What you need to know

General law cities in Texas have the following requirements for potential candidates:
  • Be a citizen of the United States
  • Be at least 18 years old on the date of the election
  • Be a registered voter and have lived in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the filing date of the election, and in the city or ward for at least six months prior to the election
The city of Live Oak will have three City Council seats on the ballot, including Place 1 held by Mendell Morgan, Place 3 held by Erin Perez and Place 5 held by Aaron Dahl.


The city of Garden Ridge will have two City Council seats up for election, including Place 2 held by Lisa Swint and Place 3 held by Jesús Valdez. The mayor seat, held by Robb Erickson, will also be on the ballot.

According to the city website, both Swint and Valdez are vying for the mayor seat, while Gary Palmer is the only applicant for Place 2, and Krendra Harralson is the only applicant for Place 3.

For Selma residents, three City Council seats will be on the ballot, including:
  • Place 4 held by Kevin Hadas
  • Place 5 held by Jim Parma
  • Place 6 held by Ken Polasek
Universal City residents will also have three City Council seats on the ballot, held by Christina Fitzpatrick, Bear Goolsby and Ashton Bulman. Universal City council seats are all at-large and the top three vote-getters in the election will be sworn into City Council.

What else?


Judson ISD will have four board of trustee seats on the ballot. Each seat is a single-member district representing a portion of the district. Candidates must live within the district they are applying for.

The seats on the ballot for Judson ISD are:
  • District 2 held by Stephanie Faulkner
  • District 3 held by Debra Eaton
  • District 4 held by José A. Macias Jr.
  • District 5 held by Arnoldo Salinas
According to the district website, Macias is the only applicant for District 4, while Salinas and Amanda Poteet have submitted applications for Place 5.

For Place 3, applications have been submitted by Lesley Lee and Christopher Anderson. No application has been submitted for District 2. A district map can be found here.

What’s next?


Those interested in applying for a place on the May 3 ballot must submit an application by 5 p.m. Feb. 14. Application information can be found on the school district or municipality websites.

For voters, the last day to register to vote in the election is April 3. Voter registration and information can be found on the Texas Secretary of State website. Early voting is scheduled for April 22-29.