Election Day for El Paso is here; included on ballot is Prop K

Adam Powell, El Paso Times
·6 min read

El Pasoans are again gearing up to head to the polls Saturday.

The marquee issue for El Paso voters is the hotly-debated El Paso Climate Charter, which will appear on the ballot as Proposition K, but there are 10 other charter amendments up for consideration and two seats on the board of the El Paso Independent School District.

Other school districts will likewise see board races, including Socorro, Ysleta and Anthony, and city races in Anthony, Horizon City and San Elizario.

While all El Paso voters can cast a ballot on the proposed charter amendments, only those residing in each school district will be allowed to vote in those board elections.

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When is Election Day in El Paso?

The election is Saturday, May 6, with polls open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

What propositions are on the May 6 voting ballot?

The eleventh amendment, the proposed climate charter, was added to the ballot following a months-long petition drive by activist groups Sunrise El Paso and Ground Game Texas.

More: City of El Paso hosts community meetings on proposed charter amendments

Voters will be asked to vote for or against the following 10 charter amendments:

  • Proposition A: Should section 3.1 of the City Charter, relating to creation, composition; powers and duties of Council be amended to allow City Council Representatives to appoint and remove district office staff?

  • Proposition B: Should section 3.18 of the City Charter relating to Leases, Franchises, and Conveyances be amended to authorize Council to lease City owned property for 40 years or less by Council resolution or ordinance?

  • Proposition C: Should section 3.5A of the City Charter be amended to allow Council to reschedule meetings by resolution to allow for City holidays but shall hold no less than two regular meetings per month?

  • Proposition D: Should section 3.5A of the City Charter be amended to allow the Mayor to cancel a meeting if necessary due to a Federal, State or Local declared emergency?

  • Proposition E: Shall Sections 3.9B, 3.10B, 6.1-12 of the City Charter be amended to eliminate provisions which have become inoperative because they have been superseded by state law; replace obsolete references and update terminology to current legal usage?

  • Proposition F: Should section 3.11 relating to the initiative petition of the City Charter be amended to remove the requirement for a second petition, and institute a process for the public to initiate a City ordinance?

  • Proposition G: Should (section) 6.1-4 of the City Charter be amended to change the qualifications requirements for Civil Service Commissioners to allow for appointment of Commissioners that reflect the diversity of the community and City workforce?

  • Proposition H: Should Section 6.7-1 be deleted and 6.8-1 relating to Examinations of the City Charter be amended to remove the requirement for examinations and allow the City to establish Civil Service Rules, policies and procedures for the promotion of City employees?

  • Proposition I: Should section 6.13-11D relating to the police and fire pension fund be amended to establish that the City of El Paso shall contribute to the El Paso Policemen and Firemen Pension Fund no less than eighteen percent of the total amount expended for wages of the participants, and any increase to the contribution rate shall be as allowed by state law?

  • Proposition J: Should Section 3.20B of the El Paso City Charter be amended to change the reporting structure of the Chief lnternal Auditor so the position reports directly to City Council?

What is Prop K El Paso?

While the complete ballot language for Proposition K extends across multiple pages, voters will essentially be asked to decide on the following proposals: "Should the City Charter be amended, as proposed by a petition, to add Article IX to create a climate policy requiring the City to use all available resources and authority to accomplish three goals: to reduce the City's contribution to climate change, invest in an environmentally sustainable future, and advance the cause of climate justice."

The full climate charter proposal lays out a number of goals, including that the city research and pursue municipal ownership of El Paso Electric, that the city employ a climate director to oversee a new Climate Department, that a ban be placed on water sales to fossil fuel companies outside of the city, that the city pursue 100% clean, renewable energy by 2045 and more.

Despite assertions to the contrary, the proposal does not mandate that households or businesses trade in gas appliances for those suited to electrical use, nor would it require transportation companies to transition their fleets to electric vehicles.

More: Climate charter proponents target criticism from El Paso business chambers

EPISD board of trustees

Voters will decide on two seats on the El Paso Independent School District's Board of Trustees, District 2 and District 6, which have attracted a fairly large slate of candidates.

The District 2 race will be a showdown between two candidates, realtor Will Veliz and Assistant El Paso County Attorney Alejandro Cuellar. Enrique Herrera is listed on the ballot for District 2, but he's no longer seeking election to the board, according to El Paso Matters.

The District 6 race will be between four candidates, business owners David Adams and Valerie Beals, educator Jacqueline Martinez and Josie Castro Garcia, who works in corporate operations for AT&T.

Socorro ISD board of trustees

Voters in the Socorro school district will vote on two board seats - in the District at Large seat, voters can select no more than two candidates, with the top two vote-getters ultimately being added to the Socorro Independent School District's Board of Trustees; in the District 1 race, voters will choose between three candidates.

Seven candidates are vying for the two at-large seats on the Socorro school board, including current Socorro ISD Trustees David Morales and Michael Najera, educator Marivel Macias, UTEP Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice Miguel Rico, notary public and law firm employee Joshua Carter Guerra, Fabens ISD Director of Facilities and Operations David Ayala and Jose Alonzo.

The District 1 race features three candidates: current Socorro ISD Trustee Eduardo Mena, El Paso Community College professor Tony Ayub and retired educator Alice J. Gardea.

Ysleta ISD, Anthony ISD board of trustees

Voters in the Ysleta school district will elect new trustees to represent District 4 and 6, while Anthony voters will be tasked with selecting a round of trustees to serve in the District At Large post.

In the Ysleta race, retired Ysleta teacher Mike Dwyer will face off against current Ysleta Independent School District trustee Mike Rosales. In the District 6 race, current YISD trustee and EPCC Associate Professor Sotero G. Ramirez III will face retiree Debbie Torres and political consultant Christopher Hernandez.

Voters in Anthony will select four of the five candidates running for the at-large position, with the top three voter-getters serving four-year terms on the Anthony Independent School District's Board of Trustees and the fourth completing an unfinished term that expires in 2025.

The Anthony school board race will be between current Anthony ISD trustees Luz Elena Rodriguez, Chrissy Singh and Cynthia Ramirez, Anthony Town Clerk Valerie M. Armendariz and Anthony Police Department Clerk Sylvia Chavez.

View sample ballots for all of the May 6 races online at the El Paso County Elections Department's website.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Election Day El Paso 2023: what to know for May 6 election