Elections

The City Council - Number, Selection & Term

The legislative and governing body, the City Council of Rockport, consists of a Mayor and four Council Members.

  • The Mayor is elected at large. One Council Member is elected from each of four Wards. All elected officials serve two-year terms.
  • Members of the City Council, other than the Mayor, are elected under the Ward System, the boundaries which are defined by ordinance and amended as population changes warrant.
  • Council Members from Wards 1 and 3 are elected in odd years and the Mayor and Council Members from Wards 2 and 4 in even years.
  • No person shall serve more than ten consecutive years on the City Council.
  • Council Members must reside in the Ward they represent while in office.

May 4, 2024 General Election

A General Election will be on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Aransas County Elections & Voter Registration Office, located at 602 E. Concho Street, Rockport, Texas.  Filing for a place on the ballot is set by state statute and will run from January 17-February 16, 2024. The last day to file as a write-in candidate will be February 20, 2024. 

Find additional election-related dates and information at:   https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/index.shtml  

Filing requirements are per state statute, available at: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/index.shtml

Additional Information

 City elections are non-partisan; meaning that individuals running for office are not associated with a political party.  To run for office, they must comply with the specified criteria, including residence, age, and voter registration; and secure voters’ signatures on a notarized petition to get on the ballot.  

To sign a petition, an individual must be a registered voter in the City and a resident of the City/Ward for which the candidate is seeking office.  It’s important to note that signing a petition does not commit you to voting for that individual in the May General Election.  A person may not sign the petition of more than one candidate for the same office in the same election.

The requirements/qualifications to serve on the Rockport City Council are found in the Home Rule Charter:


            Sec. 3.02 Qualification of Members

           1)  In addition to any other qualifications prescribed by law, the Mayor and each Councilperson shall meet the qualifications set forth in Article V of this Charter while in office.  Council Member shall reside in the Ward they represent while in office.

            Sec. 5.02 Filing for Office

 1)   Candidates for City offices shall file for office with the City Secretary at City Hall.

  2)   Candidates for elective City office shall meet the following qualifications:

a)  Shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the election for which they are filing.

b)  Shall be a qualified voter of the City

c)  Shall have resided within the corporate limits of the City, or recently annexed territory, for at least twelve (12) months prior to the Election

d)  Shall have resided in the Ward, or newly created Ward, they are seeking to represent for at least twelve (12) months prior to the Election Day.

e)  No candidate may file in a single election for more than one office or position as provided by this Charter.

f)  No employee of the City shall continue in such position after filing for an elective office  provided in in this Charter.

g)  A candidate filing for a Council Member position must include a petition along with their application for a place on the ballot for an office which contains signatures of qualified voters equal in number to thirty percent (30%) or fifty (50), whichever is lesser, of those who voted in the last election for that office.  If the immediately preceding election for the Council Member position applied for was canceled as provided by law, a petition containing fifty (50) signatures of qualified voters shall be necessary along with the application for a place on the ballot for an office.  This requirement shall not be construed to mean the signatures of actual people who voted in the last election.

 h)  A candidate filing for a Mayor position must include a petition along with the application for a place on the ballot for an office which contains signatures of qualified voters equal in number to thirty percent (30%) or one hundred and fifty (150), whichever is lesser, of those who voted in the last election for that office.  If the immediately preceding election for the position of Mayor was canceled as provided by law, a petition containing one hundred fifty (150) signatures of qualified voters shall be necessary along with the application for a place on the ballot for an office.  This requirement shall not be construed to mean the signatures of actual people who voted in the last election.

i)  Shall not, at the time of filing or while in office, be in arrears in payment of taxes or other liabilities due the City after the expiration of thirty (30) days following the providing of notice of delinquency.

                           (Posted in accordance with Texas Legislative. H.B. 305, effective September 1, 2019).