Election Information
May 2021 General Election – Filing Period
The May 2021 General Election will be for District 1 and District 5. The filing period for citizens that are interested in running for City Council opened on January 13, 2021 and will last until February 12, 2021. Notice of this filing period has also been posted at City Hall.
To qualify to be a member of Council at the time of election to office, each Council Member shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age, shall be a citizen and qualified voter of the State of Texas and the City of Georgetown and a resident of the Council District the member would be representing for a period of six (6) months as of the last legal date for filing. No member of the Council shall hold any other office or employment under the City Government while a member of said Council, nor hold any paid employment under the City Government within two (2) years thereafter. A member of the Council ceasing to reside in the City shall immediately forfeit that office.
Any qualified person who desires to become a candidate for election to City office shall file application of candidacy with the City Secretary, in accordance with State law. Such application shall contain a sworn statement by the candidate that the candidate is fully qualified to hold the office under the provisions of this Charter and State law. Please see links below for more information.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the City Secretary’s Office at either cs@georgetown.org or via phone at (512) 931-7715. City offices are closed on Monday, January 18, 2021, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The City Secretary’s Office will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 19. The office will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Published Notice of Deadline to File and Application for Place on the Ballot
To see maps of council districts, go to maps.georgetown.org/council-district-maps.
To see candidate filed documents, go to records.georgetown.org
Voting registration dates have now changed to match the May calendars: (See Secretary of State website for other deadlines.) https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml
Early voting and election day polling places, dates, and times will be listed at wilco.org/elections.
For further details about City Elections, contact City Secretary Robyn Densmore at Robyn.Densmore@georgetown.org (512) 931-7715.
Vote Centers
A vote center is a countywide polling location where any registered voter may cast their vote. Vote Centers are all electronic and eliminate the Election Day requirement of having to vote in the polling location specific to your voting precinct. With Vote Centers, a voter can choose the most convenient polling location in the County during Early Voting and Election Day.
Click on the link below, which takes you to the Secretary of State’s website to locate your precinct: https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/voterws/viw/faces/SearchSelectionVoter.jsp
To find your Council District, within City Limits, click here: https://government.georgetown.org/city-council/
Candidate Information
Election forms and information, with all of the required forms for candidates, may be downloaded from links below. Completed applications for candidacy should be submitted to the City Secretary, Robyn Densmore, at City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street.
* A Council candidate must be 18 on the first day of the term to be filled and must have been a resident of the District for the 6 months immediately preceding the filing deadline, in accordance with state law.
The Election Code authorizes home rule cities to adopt age and residency requirements greater than those in state law, but such local provisions cannot require a candidate to be more than 21 on the first day of the term and cannot require residency in the District for longer than 12 months immediately preceding election day. Otherwise, the local provision is void, and the applicable statute would apply. The Charter requires a candidate to be 21 at the time of election, which in turn requires the candidate to be greater than 21 years on the first day of the term (as the term will always commence after the election). Similarly, the Charter requires a candidate to be a resident of the District for 12 months prior to the filing deadline, which in turn requires the candidate to be a resident for 15 months preceding election day (as the filing deadline is 3 months before election day). Therefore, the Charter’s age and residency requirements are both void and the requirements of state law apply.
Memo to Candidates from City Secretary
City Candidate Guide First Steps 2020
May 2021 Elections Calendar from Secretary of State: https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/forms/may-1-2021-calendar.pdf
May 2021 Elections Calendar from Texas Municipal Clerks: Election Calendar for a City’s General Election by TMCA
Application for General Election Ballot May 2021
Campaign Finance Reports
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- Campaign Finance Report Instructions: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/coh/COH_ins.pdf
- Campaign Finance Report – Form CFR: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/coh/coh.pdf
- Appointment of a Campaign Treasurer Guide: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/coh/CTA_ins.pdf
- Appointment of a Campaign Treasurer Form CTA: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/coh/cta.pdf
- Amendment of Appointment of a Campaign Treasurer Guide: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/coh/ACTA_ins.php
- Amendment of Appointment of a Campaign Treasurer – Form ACTA: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/coh/acta.pdf
Declaration of Write-in Candidacy – English and Spanish: https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/forms/pol-sub/2-23f.pdf
Unified Development Code Sign Standards
Political Advertising – What You Need to Know
From Texas Ethics Commission:
Additional Helpful Links:
