2026 Election: New Braunfels sets runoff election for mayor, city council seat
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas - The city of New Braunfels has set a date for its mayoral and city council runoff.
By the numbers:
The New Braunfels city council approved the official canvass and results from the May 2 election on May 11.
Mary Ann Labowski received 50.65% of the vote for the District 5 seat, meaning no need for a runoff election.
In the District 6 race, Nikki Shaw earned 45.33%, April Ryan received 33.07% and Steven Voges got 21.6% of the vote.
In the mayoral race, Michael Alexander French earned 49.38%, Neal Linnartz got 38.41%, Angela Allen received 10.97% and Jon Frazier got 1.64% of the vote, based on results posted to the city's election website.
What's next:
Both the District 6 council race and the mayoral race will go to a runoff as none of the candidates received more than 50% of the vote.
The District 6 race will be between April Ryan and Nikki Shaw.
The mayoral race will be between Neal Linnartz and Michael Alexander French.
The runoff will be held on Saturday, June 13.
Early voting
Comal County
Locations
- Comal County Elections Office - 396 N. Seguin Ave.
- Comal County Church Hill Annex - 1345 Church Hill Dr.
Hours
- June 1–5 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- June 6 -10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- June 8-9 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Guadalupe County
Locations
- Guadalupe County Elections Office - 3251 SH 123
- Redemptive Grace Ministries - 2240 FM 725
Hours
- June 1–5 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- June 6 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- June 8-9 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Election Day
Comal County
Locations
- New Braunfels City Hall — 550 Landa St
- Westside Branch Library - 2932 I-35 South
- New Braunfels Public Library — 700 E Common St
- Comal County Church Hill Annex - 1345 Church Hill Dr.
- Eden Hill — 631 Lakeview Blvd
Hours
- June 13 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Guadalupe County
Location
- Redemptive Grace Ministries - 2240 FM 725
Hours
- June 13 - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Controversy over May 2 mayoral election results
Dig deeper:
The mayoral election results did cause a bit of a stir in the city of New Braunfels.
City officials say that there was an "oversight in not recognizing a conflict between the City Charter and the Texas Constitution" that "caused significant frustration and distress in the community."
"While this failure is unacceptable and extremely regrettable, it is not a result of deceit or dishonesty. It is a significant mistake that is being felt by the community, candidates, the City Council, and the entire organization," said the city.
The Texas Constitution requires that when a term of office exceeds two years, that seat's election must be decided by a majority vote, meaning one candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote. The New Braunfels mayoral term is three years.
In 1995, the New Braunfels City Charter was amended for the Mayor to be elected by the residents instead of chosen by City Council, based on which candidates received the most votes, also known as a plurality vote.
However, since 1995, every mayoral election has been decided by a majority vote, or it was an unopposed race, says the city.
The issue was not discovered until May 4 when outside legal counsel, after seeing election results coverage, informed the City Attorney of the conflict between the City Charter and Texas Election Code.
The city says the outside counsel was a firm already under contract to provide legal services and is not affiliated with any candidate.
Upon learning this and further review, the City announced there would be a runoff election between the top two candidates in the mayoral election in order for the city to be compliant with state law.
The Source: Information comes from the city of New Braunfels.