Runoff election in El Paso: Key dates, candidates for mayor, City Council seats
Voters will return to the polls in a few weeks to make a final decision on a handful of key City Hall seats.
The mayor's race and five seats on the El Paso City Council are among the races still to be decided.
It has been a marathon year for voting in the Sun City, with the upcoming runoff election marking the fifth time voters have gone to the polls this year. The first election was a January runoff for the District 2 City Council seat, followed by the Super Tuesday primary and its subsequent runoff and, most recently, the General Election on Nov. 5.
With voter fatigue likely setting in — and Democrats still reeling from a stunning Election Day loss in the presidential race — the prospect for high voter turnout in a municipal runoff so close to the holidays is dismal.
Still, the six races yet to be determined will mark a sea change in city leadership.
With Mayor Oscar Leeser rounding out his second and final term, the next mayor will have to weigh generational development projects and business expansion against the clarion call for lower taxes and functional streets.
The five seats on the City Council — at least four of which will be filled by new representatives — will play a large part in determining how that vision is executed.
Aside from the mayor, there are eight city representatives who govern under a council-city manager form of government. All the power rests with these elected public officials.
Who's on the ballot?
El Paso Mayor
El Paso City Council, District 1
El Paso City Council, District 3
Jose Rodriguez (did not submit a candidate questionnaire)
El Paso City Council, District 4
Joe Molinar (incumbent)
El Paso City Council, District 5
El Paso City Council, District 7
Important runoff dates
El Paso's runoff election is set for Saturday, Dec. 14. The following is a list of other key dates as the runoff approaches:
Thursday, Nov. 14: Last day to register to vote in the runoff
Monday, Dec. 2: First day of in-person early voting
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Last day of in-person early voting
Why is a runoff election needed?
A runoff occurs when no candidate can secure 50-plus 1% of the vote on Election Day. When no candidate reaches a majority of the vote for victory, the top two vote-getters advanced to a runoff election, and voters will make a final decision.
Only one candidate was able to win outright on Election Day — that was incumbent West-Central city Rep. Josh Acevedo who was victorious in his two-way race over Isabel Ceballos-Otten. He represents District 2.
Who can vote in the runoff?
All registered El Paso voters are eligible to vote in the mayoral contest.
The City Council races, however, are district specific. Only voters residing in each of the five districts on the runoff ballot are eligible to vote in those races.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Runoff election 2024: Who’s on the December ballot, who can vote?
