The City of Harker Heights holds a General Election annually on the first Saturday of May for the purpose of electing a Mayor and City Councilmembers. The Mayor and City Council positions are for three year terms. Find additional election-related dates and information on the Secretary of State's website found here.
CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Be a United States citizen.
- Be a registered voter of the city at the time of filing for office.
- Be 18 years of age or older on or before the first day of the term in which they are elected.
- Have not been determined mentally incompetent by a final judgment of a court.
- Have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities.
- Not be in arrears in the payment of any taxes or other liabilities due to the City of Harker Heights.
- Have resided continuously in Texas on or before one year preceding the filing deadline.
- Shall have and maintain the eligibility requirements for municipal officers set forth in Section 141.001 of the Texas election code, Vernon's texas civil statutes annotated hereinafter referred to as "Election Code" as it may now read or hereafter be amended.
- Shall not hold any other public office of emolument.
- If a member of the council shall, after being elected, cease to possess any of these qualifications or eligibility requirements, or shall hold another office of emolument, or enter a plea of guilty to a felony, or be convicted of a felony he or she shall immediately forfeit his or her office.
Running for office:
If you are interested in learning how to become a candidate, please contact the City Secretary’s Office for more information.
Application:
In accordance with state law, the City Secretary's Office will accept applications from qualified persons interested in running for an elected office during the filing period. Per Section 7.03 HOW TO GET NAME ON BALLOT, a qualified person wishing to file for a place on the Ballot must do the following:
- Any qualified person may have his or her name placed on the official ballot as a candidate for Mayor or councilmember at any election held for the purpose of electing a Mayor or councilmember by filing with the City Clerk an application as may be required by the provisions of the Texas Election Code, as the same from time to time may be amended; and
- Any qualified person who desires to become a candidate for Mayor or a councilmember shall, in addition to the sworn application described herein, pay a filing fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or file a petition in lieu of filing fee, in compliance with Chapter 141 of the Texas Election Code, signed by the greater of twenty-five (25) qualified voters or one-half of one percent of the total vote received in the City from which the office is elected by all candidates for Mayor in the most recent mayoral general election prior to the filing deadline. In the event a petition in lieu of filing fee is filed with the City Clerk, the City Clerk shall, within five days after such petition is filed, notify the candidate whether the petition satisfies the requirement of law. If the petition is found insufficient, the City Clerk will return it immediately to the person who filed it with a statement certifying its insufficiency. Within the regular filing period, a corrected petition in lieu of filing fee may be filed for the same candidate.
During the filing period, qualified persons may file as candidates between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, at the City Secretary's Office at City Hall, 305 Miller’s Crossing, Harker Heights, TX 76548.
Future Elections:
Council Places 1 and 3 will next be elected in May (first Saturday in May).
- May 3, 2025
Mayor and Council Place 4 will next be elected in May (first Saturday in May).
- May 2, 2026
Council Places 2 and 5 will next be elected in May (first Saturday in May).
- May 1, 2027
Election Day polling locations and times will be shared when they become available.
Contact
For additional information about City elections, please contact the City Secretary's Office at 254-953-5600.
INTERNET POSTING REQUIREMENT NOTICE
BALLOT BY MAIL
To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must:
- be 65 years or older;
- be sick or disabled;
- be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
- be expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; or
- be confined in jail but otherwise eligible.
The Request for Ballot by Mail Form can be downloaded from the link below. Make sure to print the ballot form with the printer setting of Landscape due to the width of the document. Complete all information on the form, read the instructions very carefully, and print or type.
Mail the completed form to:
Ballot by Mail for All Other Elections: Visit the Bell County Elections Department website at: https://www.bellcountytx.com/departments/elections/ballot_by_mail.php
Vote by Mail (Voter Education information)
What I need to know about Election Mail