City Elections

Get up to speed on Dallas city elections with this handy cheat sheet

The day draws near when Dallas will see an election that changes the makeup of our city government, with eight seats turning over on the city council, plus a contest for the position of the mayor. During these impactful times, you want to be on your toes as a functioning member of society. That begins with registering to vote by April 9, the cutoff date for the May 9 election.

Registering is one thing, but how to get informed on the toll road, I-345, the Dream Team and other issues facing Dallas residents? We've compiled a list of online resources that, if ingested daily, will help get you ready to roll by election day.

THE ABCs
The basic tools to get you going.

Dallas County Votes. Info on how to register to vote.

Online form. Site where you can fill out application form. Doesn't get any simpler than this.

City of Dallas election information. List of all candidates running for mayor and city council.

Voter Guide. Dallas Morning News voter guide for May 9 election allows you to compare candidates side-by-side and create your own ballot.

OLD GUARD
Old ways of thinking, longtime deciders of how things go in Dallas, against which a backlash has formed.

Dallas Citizens Council. Founded in 1937, Dallas Citizens Council describes itself as "civic-minded business leaders." They got us where we are today. Here is their accompanying Facebook page.

Connect Dallas Now. A group of individuals and organizations who are pro-Trinity toll road, with members from the Dallas Citizens Council. Accompanying Facebook page.

NEW GUARD
People with new ideas challenging the status quo.

Kill the Trinity Tollroad. An official online rebuttal to the Connect Dallas Now site mentioned above. The real dialog occurs on their companion Facebook page Kill the Trinity Tollroad Project.

Dallas Green Alliance. Political Action Committee (PAC) organized in 2014 to lobby for green and progressive candidates for the city council; their Facebook page.

Coalition For a New Dallas. Dedicated to the teardown of I-345, members include D Magazine founder Wick Allison. Accompanying Facebook page.

Reimagine Fair Park. Group wants to recast Fair Park so that it has more green space and connects more directly to the surrounding neighborhood.

PACE SETTERS
Insiders who are leading the conversation on what should happen in the future Dallas.

Philip T Kingston, Facebook page of city council member and transparency soldier Philip Kingston.

ScottGriggsDallas, Facebook page of city council member Scott Griggs, he of Oak Cliff.

Wylie H. Dallas, Facebook page of shadowy political operative Wylie H. Dallas, who posts city-related links all day and night.

StreetSmart, planning and transportation blog on D Magazine site from urban designer Patrick Kennedy.

Angela Hunt, former city council member and occasional columnist for the Advocate.

PEANUT GALLERY
More new ideas, not as big.

Reimagine DART. Small group wants to eliminate duplicate bus routes and providing more frequent, direct service to popular locations.

My Trinity Park. This group says that it wants a new plan for Trinity Park.

Dallas Civic Digest. One citizen’s attempt to distill complicated issues. Not many posts so far.

VoteForAChange. Page is dedicated to electing "people responsive to citizens instead of special interests."

SATIRE
Using humor to challenge the status quo.

Mayor Mike. Over-the-top satire of Mayor Mike Rawlings portrays him at his bumbling finest.

Mockingbird Pothole. Tongue-in-cheek campaign spotlights Dallas' high number of potholes and the folly of the toll road.

Busted Utility Poles. One of the numerous spin-offs of Mockingbird Pothole, dedicated to broken utility poles.

CANDIDATE FORUMS
See the candidates debate at the following forums:

Tuesday, April 7 at 7 pm. District 6. Bachman Lake Branch Library, 9480 Webb Chapel Rd.

Thursday, April 9 at 7 pm. District 9 and District 10. Audelia Road Branch Library, 10045 Audelia Rd.

Saturday, April 11 at 2 pm. District 7. Skyline Branch Library, 6006 Everglade Rd.

Tuesday, April 14 at 7 pm. District 4 and District 8. Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch Library, 2008 E. Kiest Rd.

Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs.

Scott Griggs Facebook

Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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