Roughly 148,000 people voted early or by mail this year in Bexar County, but nearly 100,000 more ballots were cast on Election Day, meaning results could change throughout the night as more votes are counted.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s election carries tremendous weight for the Spurs\u2019 ownership and local business leaders who funneled more than $7 million into a PAC<\/a> supporting both ballot initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Prop B passes, San Antonio city leaders have already agreed<\/a> to chip in another $489 million in funding for the $1.3 billion arena \u2014 money from sources that don\u2019t require<\/a> a public vote.<\/p>\n Prop B\u2019s failure, on the other hand, means both the team and local elected officials have to decide what compromises are worth it to bring the team back downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think what\u2019s important is to make sure that folks know that there\u2019s going to be a San Antonio on Nov. 5 \u2014 regardless of the outcome of the propositions,\u201d Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said on a recent panel discussion hosted by the San Antonio Report. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important that we continue to negotiate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Both Jones and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai were in attendance at the Spurs\u2019 election watch party at River North Icehouse.<\/p>\n Spurs Chairman Peter J. Holt publicly welcomed them and vowed to keep working with Jones on an arena deal regardless of how the Prop B vote shakes out. <\/p>\n \u201cGreat partnerships sometimes have disagreements, and so we are excited to welcome Mayor Jones, and we\u2019re so happy she\u2019s here,\u201d Holt said. \u201cWe\u2019re so happy to work together with her on the future, no matter what that looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n A return to downtown?<\/p>\n The Spurs currently play their home games at the Frost Bank Center on San Antonio\u2019s East Side, an arena built with county venue tax dollars and first opened in 2002.\u00a0<\/p>\n But development that was expected<\/a> to follow the arena construction into nearby neighborhoods never materialized, leading the team\u2019s leaders who have a lease there through 2032 to consider the venue incompatible with their vision for the future.<\/p>\n The Spurs are now among dozens of professional sports teams, including the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, seeking to create more modern accommodations, in which arenas and stadiums are surrounded by mixed-use development, like apartments, restaurants and retail.\u00a0<\/p>\n So-called sports and entertainment districts like the Spurs have in mind for a newly built Hemisfair arena<\/a> are part of an evolving business model<\/a> for professional sports, which are expanding to nontraditional revenue streams<\/a> and bringing in<\/a> more money than ever.<\/p>\n At the same time, voters nationwide have grown more skeptical about helping teams pay for their venues. <\/p>\n Public funding is expected to cover about two-thirds of the new Spurs arena\u2019s cost, and polling in early October showed support for the county\u2019s portion was underwater<\/a>.<\/p>\n If Prop B succeeds, City Manager Erik Walsh said the City Council will come back in early 2026 to hammer out the remaining details of its agreement with the Spurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SpursWinTogether_ElectionNight_WatchParty_RiverNorthIceHouse_ProjectMarvel_PropsAB_07_11.04.2025_Amb.jpeg\")
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks with Spurs Managing Partner Peter J. Holt during the Spurs\u2019 Win Together election night watch party at River North Icehouse on Tuesday evening. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BrookHollowLibrary_ElectionDay_VotingPollingSite_PropsAB_Rodeo_ProjectMarvel_06_11.04.2025_AmberEspa.jpeg\")
San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport, right, chats with voters outside of the Brook Hollow Library voting location on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n