Early voting begins for municipal elections

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Early voting has started for the May 2 municipal election, giving residents of Farmers Branch, Addison and Carrollton the chance to cast ballots ahead of Election Day.

Voters have through April 28 to vote early.

The May 2 ballot is the most crowded in recent memory for the area, combining city council, mayor and school board races with bond elections and a high-profile vote on Addison's future in Dallas Area Rapid Transit. These are nonpartisan local elections, meaning no party labels appear on the ballot.

Farmers Branch voters will decide a mayoral race and the District 2 City Council seat. In the mayor's race, incumbent Terry Lynne faces challengers Rinkesh "Rink" Desai and Jaime Rivas. Incumbent council member Tina Bennett-Burton faces Brenda Brodrick in District 2, a rematch of the 2024 special election. Branch Herald candidate questionnaires are here. 

In Addison, voters will elect three at-large City Council members from a field of five candidates: incumbents Chris DeFrancisco, Howard Freed and Darren Gardner, along with Schnell Blanton and Trish Stuart. Branch Herald candidate questionnaires are here. 

Addison residents also will weigh in on two additional questions: a $55 million bond proposition to design and build a new police headquarters, and whether the town should withdraw from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The Addison City Council voted in January to put the DART question to voters after years of debate over whether the town gets adequate service in return for its roughly $17.6 million annual contribution to the transit agency.

Carrollton voters will see races for mayor and City Council Places 2, 4 and 6. Incumbent Mayor Steve Babick faces challenger Zul Mohamed. Place 2 incumbent Jason Carpenter and Place 6 incumbent Daisy Palomo are running unchallenged. Three candidates, Lisa Sutter, Thomas Chellethe and Mike Song are vying for Place 4. Their Branch Herald candidate questionnaires can be found here. 

Carrollton residents will also vote on five bond propositions totaling approximately $235 million: $164.5 million for streets, $32.3 million for public safety facilities, $26.5 million for parks and recreation, $7.85 million for municipal court facilities, and $3.8 million for library facilities. Voters can approve or reject each proposition independently.

Residents in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District will vote on two open at-large trustee seats. Four candidates are running: incumbent Carolyn Benavides, Dave Jimenez, Cinthya Noda and Luis Palomo.

Because ballots vary by precinct and district, not every voter will see every race listed above. Dallas County's "View Your Sample Ballot" tool at dallascounty.org requires your first name, last name and date of birth to show the specific races and candidates on your ballot.

Dallas County residents may vote at any early voting center in the county. Locations convenient for Farmers Branch, Addison and Carrollton residents include:

• Farmers Branch Manske Library, 13613 Webb Chapel Road, Farmers Branch
• Dallas College–Brookhaven Campus, W1001 (Lobby), 3939 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch
• Addison Town Hall (Lobby), 15650 Addison Road, Addison
• Josey Ranch Lake Library (Front Meeting Room), 1700 Keller Springs Road, Carrollton
• Madinah Masjid of Carrollton (Multipurpose Hall), 2180 Old Denton Road, Carrollton

A full list of all 69 early voting locations countywide is available on the Dallas County Elections Page.

_{Local News Matters.}