If you missed National Voter Registration Day, no worries. San Antonio residents have until Monday, Oct. 7 to register to vote in the upcoming elections, including the San Antonio General Election on May 3, 2025.

San Antonio's current mayor Ron Nirenberg (the city’s longest-serving mayor since Henry Cisneros) announced in 2023 that this will be his last term in office, which will open up the seat.

So, how does one become a mayoral candidate? Let's break down the process.

Mayor fast facts

This position is elected by voters to represent the City of San Antonio. The mayor sets the agenda at city council meetings and receives one vote just like other council members. Mayoral duties include:

Emergency declarations
City-wide ceremonial duties
Signing documents like city charters

Who can run?

In order to run for mayor, interested applicants must be the following:

A US citizen, at least 18 years old, and be a qualified San Antonio voter by the filing deadline
A San Antonio resident for at least one year
A resident of the respective council district for at least 6 months before filing an application

See the full list of qualifications.

Forms, fees, filing... oh my

Here comes the not-so-fun part, paperwork. Interested mayoral applicants must fill out these required forms and pay a $100 filing fee to the City of San Antonio. However, applicants may submit the required number of petition signatures instead of paying the fee. Get more details about this process.

The final step is filing. Candidate filings begin on Jan. 15, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. and end on Feb. 14, 2025 at 5 p.m. Applicants have the option to mail in their forms or submit them in person at the Office of the City Clerk.