May 2nd DART Election Schedule
Voters will decide the future of transit in Addison, Highland Park, and University Park
On May 2nd, residents of Addison, Highland Park, and University Park will vote to decide if DART continues service in their city.
May 2026 General Election
April 2, 2026: Last day to register to vote in the May 2026 General Election
April 20-28, 2026: In-person early voting
May 2, 2026: Election Day
Voting locations are on the County Elections site:
Ballot Wording
“Shall the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) be continued in [City]?”
Voting “YES” means maintaining DART services.
Voting “NO” means all service within the city stops; buses and trains will pass through without stopping. It likely means service cuts for surrounding areas as well due to loss of ridership.
For a more in depth overview of this referendum in the Park Cities see our article on it here
Addison Candidates
On top of voting on DART, you can also vote on city council members every May. City council members have the largest influence on the day-to-day experience of walking, biking, and using transit.
Here are the candidates for Addison and what we’ve seen publicly from them regarding transit:
Schnell Blanton
Never been on council
Spoke positively of public transit
Chris DeFrancisco
Current council member
Voted for transit and crosswalk improvements
Dec 2, 2025: Voted to remain in DART
Jan 27, 2026: Voted to remain in DART
Feb 24, 2026: Voted to cancel the withdrawal election and accept DART’s latest compromise
Darren Gardner
Current council member
Voted both for and against transit
Dec 2, 2025: Voted to remain in DART until further discussions were held
Jan 27, 2026: Voted for the election to leave DART
Feb 24, 2026: Voted to continue with the withdrawal election and reject DART’s latest compromise
Howard Freed
Current council member
Voted and advocated for leaving DART
Dec 2, 2025: Voted for the election to leave DART and reject DART’s first compromise
Jan 27, 2026: Voted for the election to leave DART
Feb 24, 2026: Voted to continue with the withdrawal election and reject DART’s latest compromise
Trish Stuart
Never been on council
Advocated for leaving DART at public meetings
Highland Park Candidates
The Highland Park ballot will have a field for Mayor, City Council and of course the DART referendum. There will be 6 candidates running for 5 seats on the council. You have the option to pick up to 5. You can also leave this section Blank or only vote for 1 person.
Mayor
Will C. Beecherl
Incumbent
Voted to Leave DART
Endorsed by the anti Public Transit organization and dark money organization Highland Park Community League
Council
Don Snell
Incumbent
Voted to Leave DART
Endorsed by the anti Public Transit organization and dark money organization Highland Park Community League
Mike Tibbals
Member of the zoning commission
Endorsed by the anti Public Transit organization and dark money organization Highland Park Community League
Margaret S.C. Keliher
Member of the zoning commission
Endorsed by the anti Public Transit organization and dark money organization Highland Park Community League
Leland B. White
Incumbent
Voted to Leave DART
Endorsed by the anti Public Transit organization and dark money organization Highland Park Community League
Mark P. Marynick
Focused on architectural preservation in the Park Cities
Alan Friedman - incumbent
Member of the zoning commission
Endorsed by the anti Public Transit organization and dark money organization Highland Park Community League
University Park Candidates
University Park has 5 open seats and 5 candidates, so only voting for/against DART will be on the ballot
Other City Candidates
All city council elections have an effect on public transit, but the 3 withdrawal election cities will have the largest effect so we’re focusing on them first
Closer to the election we’ll put out info on how candidates have spoken about and voted on public transit
In April, you can check out your personalized sample ballot from the county website here: https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/voters/ballot. If you need help registering to vote, email info@ridewithdata.org.