Candidate filing opens Jan. 14 for Spring 2026 election cycle

The New Year brings a new local election cycle – with filing opening Jan. 14, would-be candidates have until Feb. 13 to get their name on local ballots for nearby cities and school districts.
The Spring 2026 Election Day is Saturday, May 2, for local races.
Three Gladewater City Council spots are up in the rotation this year: Mayor (Place 1) along with Places 2 and 3. At Gladewater ISD, it’s Place 4 and Place 5.
Gladewater Mayor Brandy Flanagan confirmed Monday she’ll be running for a second term this election season. Place 2 council member Michael Webber has said he won’t be running for re-election, but Stoney Stone says he’ll seek a second stint in seat 3.
For GISD, Places 4 and 5 are currently held by Chris Thompson (school board president) and Cori Arevalo, respectively.
In White Oak, Places 3, 4 and 5 are up in the rotation this year at White Oak ISD, currently held by Stephanie McKinney (board vice president), Lance Noll (president) and David Trest, respectively.
For the City of White Oak, the mayor’s seat (currently held by Kyle Kutch) is up along with Place 4 (John Frazier) and Place 5 (Kevin Hood).
In Gladewater, city secretary Judy Van Houten posted the requisite filing announcement Dec. 11. Candidate applications for City of Gladewater are available at City Hall at 519 E. Broadway Ave. and due back to the same spot; office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11:45 Fridays. Applications can also be emailed or faxed to Van Houten via jvanhouten@cityofgladewater.com or 903-845-6891.
Likewise, applications are available from the GISD, WOISD and UGISD administrative offices as well as White Oak City Hall.
Applications can be filed until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, at every entity.
This year, the last day to register to vote is Thursday, April 2. Early voting by personal appearance begins Monday, April 20, and ends Tuesday, April 28, before Election Day May 2.
Notably, Union Grove ISD goes to the polls in the fall. Places 1, 2, 4 and 5 are on the slate this year come Nov. 3. Those spots are currently held by Karey Barbee, Justin Smith (board vice president), Tim Turner (secretary) and Brian Cox, respectively.
At UGISD and similar entities, filing opens July 20 and closes at 5 p.m. Aug. 17. The last day to register to vote will be Oct. 5 and early voting will run Oct. 19-30.