Laura Cadena and Byron Sanders secure election victories in West Dallas

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Many people expected the Dallas City Council District 6 race to end in a runoff.

With nine candidates and no incumbent (Council Member Omar Narvaez is in his fourth and final 2-year term), it would be difficult for anyone to receive the more than 50% of votes required in Texas to win an election outright. Yet Laura Cadena did.

Cadena spent the last eight years as chief of staff for Narvaez, who has represented District 6 since 2017 and championed Cadena through the campaign trail. At 7 p.m. on election night, reports showed Cadena in the lead with 52% of early votes, and in the wee hours of the morning May 4, she was declared the winner with 50.43% of the vote.

Cadena even survived a recount requested and funded by the no. 2 vote-getter, former Council Member Monica Alonzo, who paid $6,400 to find out that Cadena actually had received one more vote and Alonzo two fewer.

The voters have spoken. (Well, a few of them.)

Across Dallas County, only 8% of registered voters cast ballots in May’s elections to decide who would govern their cities and school boards. In Dallas District 6, which includes West Dallas, the Design District, Bachman Lake and parts of Northwest Dallas, turnout was only 6% of voters. 

Turnout was 5% in Dallas ISD District 5, which includes Pinkston, Roosevelt, South Oak Cliff and Wilmer-Hutchins high schools. Byron Sanders defeated Natshia Gerald and Devon L. Washington in that race with 65% of votes.

And turnout was 7% in West Dallas precincts, where 1,172 neighbors showed up at the polls.

So what do voters need in order to vote? This was a question we asked and reported on throughout the election, and will continue asking as we study and support civic engagement.

We learned that the convenience of vote centers is helpful, though the ability to vote anywhere in Dallas County isn’t necessarily increasing voter turnout. But what if local elections moved to November in odd years, alternating the presidential and congressional elections?

This could happen, based on a City Charter amendment voters approved last November, and Dallas state legislators’ end-of-session efforts to pass a bill that would pave the way.  

Cadena and Sanders‘ respective campaigns and election night watch parties represented the few and the faithful.

“Laura has her community behind her,” Ledbetter resident Margaret Hernandez said through tears on election night, as celebrations began. “We’ve all put our feet on the ground, sweat, knocking on doors, making calls, texting, and we support her 100%.”

As Cadena addressed the crowd late on May 3, she emphasized that

“this was a community-driven campaign from the very start. We’re gonna fight for our community.”

A few miles away, Sanders’ supporters began celebrating early based on his early lead when polls closed. Sanders led the youth empowerment nonprofit Big Thought for six years and replaces departing trustee Maxie Johnson, who has represented District 5 since 2017 and endorsed Sanders for the seat as he left to run for Dallas City Council District 4.

Sanders said his opponents, Gerald and Washington, both have a history of advocacy in their neighborhoods, and he hopes to work with them as he represents the district.

“They’re some of the first people I’m reaching out to to make sure that we can sit down and have a real conversation,” Sanders said. “We ain’t got time for factions. We don’t have time for division. And I know they feel the same way.”

Sanders’ first Dallas ISD board meeting as the District 5 trustee was last Thursday, May 22. Cadena will be sworn in as Dallas city council member for District 6 on June 16.

Reporting by Keri Mitchell, Jeffrey Ruiz, David Silva Ramirez and Tekisha J. Hobbs