The early voting counts are in. What do the numbers say about Keller, Mansfield races?
The May 3 general election early voting period concluded April 29, and ballot counts in two closely watched areas of Tarrant County — the Keller school district and Mansfield — yielded some interesting results.
Keller ISD
In the Keller area, where there are three school board places on the ballot, in-person early voting was down compared to 2023. Over the 10-day early voting period two years ago, 10,796 votes were cast at Keller Town Hall and the Summerglen and Golden Triangle branches of the Fort Worth Public Library. Keller Town Hall accounted for around 48% of those votes.
Over the eight-day early voting period this year, 10,691 in-person votes were cast at those same locations, down 105 from 2023. However, the percentage of votes cast in the western portion of the district — the two library locations, both in the Fort Worth city limits — increased by around 10% in 2025.
That could indicate a slightly more mobilized electorate in the western portion of the Keller school district, which, under a plan considered by the school board earlier this year, would have been detached from the eastern portion. Following intense backlash from residents on the west side of the district, that plan was scrapped on March 14, with the school district citing financial hurdles.
The two incumbent board trustees running this year — Joni Shaw Smith, Place 2, and Chelsea Kelly, Place 3 — opposed the split plan. Place 1 Trustee Micah Young, who supported the plan, is not seeking reelection.
Candidates Scott Bruce, Marissa Bryce and Randy Campbell are vying for Young’s seat. Jade Holbrook and Jennifer Erickson are challenging Shaw Smith for the Place 2 seat, and Ed Duncan and Nikki Paris are going against Kelly for Place 3.
While the early voting figures above reflect numbers at polling locations nearest large populations of registered Keller school district voters, it should be noted that Tarrant County voters can vote at any of the county’s polling locations.
Mansfield mayoral race
In Mansfield, where there’s a mayoral race between incumbent Michael Evans and challenger Julie Short, in-person early voting was up nearly 116% this year compared to 2023.
Two years ago, 3.474 votes were cast at Mansfield’s Vernon Newsom Stadium and the Tarrant County Subcourthouse. This year, 7,498 votes were cast at those polling places.
While that’s a significant increase, it’s worth pointing out that the 2023 election did not include a mayoral race. That year, two city council seats were up for grabs, and there was a special sales and use tax measure on the ballot.
Tarrant County early vote totals
Across all of Tarrant County’s 45 polling locations, 61,641 early in-person votes were cast this year, along with 1,426 mail-in absentee ballots. That’s about a 40% decrease from the 104,576 early in-person and mail-in votes cast for the May 2023 elections.
On the May 2025 ballot, Fort Worth voters are choosing a mayor, 10 city council members and five school board members. Fort Worth mayor and city council members are elected in odd-numbered years. The city’s nine school board members are elected for four-year terms in alternating cycles.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 11:50 AM.