Can You Find A Few Hours Each Week To Serve On City Council?

Have you ever given any thought to running for Bellaire City Council?  Do you want to make a difference in our community?  

The City of Bellaire holds non-partisan city elections for Mayor and members of City Council in off years, and the next election will be in November of 2023. The current Mayor is term limited and cannot run again, and Council seats 2, 4, and 6 will also be on the ballot.  Find full information the Mayor and Council here.  No previous experience necessary, just common sense and a willingness to work to benefit your Bellaire neighbors and improve your community.

Below is an excerpt from the terms for office and below that you’ll find the information posted on the City website for the 2023 election.   

Form of Government

The City of Bellaire was incorporated in 1918 at which time it adopted a General Law form of government. The city’s current form of government, Home Rule, was not adopted until April 2, 1949. The city operates under a Council-Manager form of government. The City Council is composed of a Mayor and 6 Council Members, all of whom are elected at large. The Mayor is elected for regular terms of 2 years, and the Council Members are elected for regular terms of 4 years, with the Mayor and 3 Council Members being elected at each regular election.

Term Limits

The Mayor shall not serve more than 4 consecutive terms in that position, and no Council Member shall serve more than 2 consecutive terms as a Council Member.

Elections

Local City-Wide elections occur every two years on the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years. In conjunction with federal, state, county, and school district elections. The City contracts with Harris County to provide voting locations (for both early and Election Day), election officials and equipment.

NOVEMBER 7, 2023, GENERAL ELECTION

POSITIONS ON THE NOVEMBER 7, 2023, BALLOT:

Mayor

Council Member, Position No. 2

Council Member, Position No. 4

Council Member, Position No. 6

TERM OF OFFICE

The term of office for the position of mayor is two years from January 8, 2024, to January 5, 2026.

The term of office for the position of council member is four years from January 8, 2024, to January 3, 2028.

NOTICE OF DEADLINE TO FILE APPLICATIONS
FOR PLACE ON THE BALLOT

AVISO DE FECHA LÍMITE PARA PRESENTAR SOLICITUDES PARA UN LUGAR EN LA BOLETA DE VOTACIÓN

THÔNG BÁO VỀ HẠN CHÓT NỘP ĐƠN XIN GHI TÊN TRANH CỬ TRÊN LÁ PHIẾU

申請登記選票席位截止公告

The dates for filing an application for a place on the City of Bellaire General Election ballot begins on Saturday, July 22, 2023, and ends at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 21, 2023.

Office hours are 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for holidays.

The entire Notice of Deadline to File Applications for Place on the Ballot will be posted to the website by June of 2023.

The Application for Place on the Ballot may be obtained from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office using the following links:  https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/pol-sub/2-21f.pdf (form) and https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/pol-sub/2-21.pdf (instructions).  The Application for Place on the Ballot may also be obtained from the Bellaire City Clerk, Tracy L. Dutton, at tdutton@bellairetx.gov.

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected, to office as mayor or a council member of the City of Bellaire, Texas, a person must:

(1)          Be a United States citizen;

(2)          Be twenty-one (21) years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election;

(3)          Have not been determined mentally incompetent by a final judgment of a court;

(4)          Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities;

(5)          Have resided continuously in the State of Texas and within the corporate limits of the City of Bellaire for 12 months immediately preceding the filing deadline of the regular election; and

(6)          Be a qualified, registered voter of the State of Texas, County of Harris.

REGISTERING TO VOTE

The last day to register to vote in the November 7, 2023, General Election is Tuesday, October 10, 2023.  Voter registration information may be obtained from the Harris County Elections website using the following link: https://voterregistration.harrisvotes.com/?lang=en-US.

POLLING LOCATIONS, DATES, AND TIMES

The City of Bellaire intends to enter into a Joint Election Contract with the Harris County Clerk’s Office to conduct the November 7, 2023, General Election.  Polling locations will be announced once the locations are known.   Further information may also be obtained from the Harris County Elections website at https://harrisvotes.com.

Early voting by personal appearance is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 23, 2023, and end on Friday, November 3, 2023 (Texas Election Code, Section 85.001, Early Voting Period).   The hours for early voting by personal appearance will be posted when known.  Further information may also be obtained from the Harris County Elections website at https://harrisvotes.com.

VOTING BY MAIL

The first day to apply for a ballot by mail using the Application for Ballot by Mail (ABBM) or Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is January 1, 2023.  The last day to apply for a Ballot by Mail for the November 7, 2023, General Election is Friday, October 27, 2023.

To apply for a Ballot by Mail, visit the Harris County Elections website using the following link: https://www.harrisvotes.com/Voter/Vote-by-Mail.