A Mayoral Election in Dallas

Dallas holds an election for mayor on May 4. The city is the third largest in Texas and the eighteenth largest in the United States. The ballot will feature nine candidates running in a blanket primary. If no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote, there will be a runoff election in June.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for A Mayoral Race in Dallas

Links

“Here’s the final list of the 9 candidates for Dallas mayor”
https://www.keranews.org/post/heres-final-list-9-candidates-dallas-mayor

“The race for Dallas mayor: 9 hopefuls, but no frontrunner, headed for May 4 election”
https://www.texastribune.org/2019/04/23/dallas-mayor-election/

“Dallas mayoral poll week eight: Let the early voting begin”
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/04/dallas-mayoral-poll-week-eight-let-the-early-voting-begin/

“Candidates for Dallas mayor share plans to curb homelessness”
https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/candidates-for-dallas-mayor-share-plans-to-curb-homelessness/

“Dallas mayor’s race not a big draw for voters”
https://houston.cbslocal.com/video/4071486-dallas-mayors-race-not-a-big-draw-for-voters/

“Here are the issues the candidates for Dallas mayor are talking about”
https://www.keranews.org/post/here-are-issues-candidates-dallas-mayor-are-talking-about

“Which Dallas mayoral candidates have the money edge? Here’s a look at spending and fundraising this year”
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-politics/2019/04/04/dallas-mayoral-campaign-shaping-one-expensive-citys-history

“Early take on mayor’s race: Two real contenders, lotta stooges”
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-mayoral-race-has-two-real-contenders-and-a-bunch-of-stooges-11580247

“Why Dallas should switch to ranked-choice voting”
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/04/why-dallas-should-switch-to-ranked-choice-voting/tml

“Dallas mayoral poll week six: Let’s dig through all of the max campaign donors”
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/04/dallas-mayoral-poll-week-six-lets-dig-through-all-of-the-max-campaign-donors/

Assessment

• Writing: What are some of the main issues in this year’s Dallas mayoral election?
• Debate: Low voter turnout is an indication that citizens are generally pleased with their government.
• Poll: Do you believe mayoral elections in cities like Dallas have major implications for statewide politics in Texas or national politics?
• Short Answer: Why is voter turnout in Dallas so low?

Current events quiz:

1) Voter turnout in the last Dallas mayoral election was

a. 2%
b. 6%
c. 24%
d. 72%

2) In their article, one writer makes the case for Dallas to switch to which system of voting?

a. Ranked-choice
b. First past the post
c. Caucus
d. Democratic

3) This candidate for mayor of Dallas once served in the Clinton Administration:

a. Regina Montoya
b. Albert Black
c. Alyson Kennedy
d. Mike Ablon

4) Although the race is gaining a significant amount of media attention, it is still speculated that there will be low voter turnout come election day on May 4th. (T/F)

5) An anti-semitic video was released depicting scenes of Adolf Hitler and making reference to the race for mayor in Dallas. (T/F)

6) There is no single front runner in the race for Dallas mayor. (T/F)

Answers:

1) B

2) A

3) A

4) True

5) True

6) True

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