\u201cThe polling suggested that this thing was going to face an uphill battle \u2026 that there was a lot of opposition to it, and a lot of questions about whether or not this is money well-spent,\u201d said UTSA political science professor Jon Taylor.<\/p>\n
A closer look at how ballot initiatives to fund the new arena and rehabilitate the existing one performed across various neighborhoods offers insight into the unusual politics of a sports venue deal that local leaders were eager to put on the ballot, and which voters ended up narrowly<\/a> supporting.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community has spoken,\u201d Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt said on election night<\/a>. \u201cWe love this city, we love this county, and the county and the city love us back.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are our top takeaways from an exciting election in Bexar County.<\/p>\n 1. High voter interest<\/p>\n Off-year November elections are when Texans approve state constitutional amendments, typically drawing out only the most committed voters.<\/p>\n But in early voting alone, Props A and B<\/a> fueled more participation than in any of the county\u2019s last three November odd-year elections, according to Elections Administer Michele Carew.<\/p>\n Election Day turnout was even more dramatic, notching a higher-than-usual share of the total vote, political watchers say, and delaying the announcement of early results while hundreds of people were still waiting in line at 7 p.m. to cast their ballots.<\/p>\n Overall, the roughly 248,000 votes cast for the Nov. 4 election put turnout at about 19.3% of the county\u2019s 1.23 million registered voters \u2014 compared to 23.6% turnout<\/a> when the county approved funding for what\u2019s now known as the Frost Bank Center 26 years ago.<\/p>\n Compared to Bexar County\u2019s 2023 November election<\/a>, turnout this Nov. 4 was up about 100,000 votes. Voting outpaced the city\u2019s June mayoral runoff<\/a> by about the same margin, though the city\u2019s eligible voting universe is much smaller than the whole county.<\/p>\n 2. Northside voters carried Prop B<\/p>\n Voters in some of the county\u2019s more affluent Northside neighborhoods played a key role in bringing Prop B, which provides $311 million for the new arena, over the line.<\/p>\n Precincts that include the municipalities of Olmos Park, Terrell Hills and Alamo Heights had some of the highest percentages of support, as well as others north of San Antonio city limits.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a coalition between Southside and Northside voters, and the West Side was a mixed bag,\u201d said San Antonio political consultant Bert Santiba\u00f1ez, who worked on behalf of the Spurs\u2019 Win Together PAC. \u201cBut the North Side really put this over the top.\u201d<\/p>\n The North Side is some of the county\u2019s reddest territory, and public polling suggested Republicans were more skeptical<\/a> of the $1.3 billion Spurs arena deal than their Democratic counterparts.<\/p>\n But Santiba\u00f1ez said the election results were further evidence the county\u2019s North Side isn\u2019t a monolith.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this long-running misconception that the North Side is entirely Republican, and clearly it\u2019s not,\u201d Santiba\u00f1ez said. \u201cThere are many affluent Democrats on the North Side.\u201d<\/p>\n To view results from individual precinct, hover over it on the map. Raw votes are in the left column, while percentage is on the right. The colors indicate margin of victory, with the darkest brown precincts showing where Prop B fared the worst, and the darkest teal showing where it performed best.<\/p>\n 3. Eastside skepticism<\/p>\n Some of the lowest support for Prop B came from the East Side, where the Spurs currently play their games at the Frost Bank Center. <\/p>\n Opened in 2002, the Frost Bank Center was expected to bring surrounding development that never materialized<\/a>, fueling the team\u2019s decision to pursue a new venue downtown. <\/p>\n Of the four Bexar County Commissioners Court precincts, Eastside Precinct 4 was the only one in which the majority of voters were against Prop B to fund the new downtown arena.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no surprise that those who\u2019ve been misled about how wonderful life is going to be if they just approve this way too many times already, we\u2019re not buying it again,\u201d said COPS\/Metro Alliance leader Sonia Rodriguez, whose community activist group campaigned hard against Prop B through a political action committee.<\/p>\n Rodriguez suggested the election results reflect a difference in the way residents will be affected by the downtown construction, and whether they can afford to attend the games.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you that in a lot of our communities on the South Side, West Side and the East Side, they can\u2019t afford Spurs tickets,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cAlamo Heights and above, they\u2019re going to be living in another world.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, however, a majority of Precinct 4 residents supported Prop A<\/a>, which provides funding to turn the Spurs\u2019 existing home into a year-round stock show and rodeo district.<\/p>\n Countywide, the rodeo initiative was more popular<\/a> with voters than the new Spurs arena, and it didn\u2019t face the same organized opposition as Prop B. <\/p>\n But to the East Side, the rodeo expansion is now the latest plan that elected officials hope<\/a> will deliver new amenities like bars and restaurants \u2014 based on the premise that people competing in western-themed events will be overnight visitors, unlike basketball fans.<\/p>\n \u201cLike most people around here, I am tired of hearing about master grandiose plans, I\u2019m tired of somebody waving a banner out there, \u2018I\u2019m doing this, I\u2019m doing that,\u2019 and we end up with nothing,\u201d San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport said on a CityFest panel last month. \u201cLet the rodeo come in and do what we\u2019ve been doing every year in February. Let us expand that. \u2026 Let\u2019s build that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 4. 2025 Spurs arena vs. past venue votes<\/p>\n When Bexar County put the funding for the Spurs\u2019 existing Eastside arena out to voters in 1999, it was approved with 61% support<\/a>, much higher than Prop B\u2019s 52% approval.<\/p>\n Like for the new arena, the county was asking voters at that time to use its hotel and rental car tax<\/a>, which wound up providing $175 million for the Frost Bank Center \u2014 formerly known as the SBC Center and AT&T Center.<\/p>\n Such fees on visitors are considered more palatable than asking local voters to raise their own taxes, and reflect an evolving toolset the legislature has created for cities and counties to fund major projects.<\/p>\n Before the creation of the venue tax, for example, the Alamodome hinged on Bexar County voters agreeing to a half-cent sales tax increase in 1989, which they approved with 53% of the vote<\/a>.<\/p>\n The new arena\u2019s $1.3 billion price tag involves a $489 million contribution<\/a> from the city, from sources that don\u2019t require a public vote, such as a state-designated Project Finance Zone<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the City Council is now expected to hammer out the final details of its agreement with the team, and critics of the new arena hope they\u2019ll keep the close vote in mind.<\/p>\n \u201cIt moves now to the city where there\u2019s still so many unanswered questions,\u201d said Rodriguez. \u201cThe vote shows that people were not happy with the process.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. The Spurs spent big<\/p>\n As of Oct. 25, the Spurs-backed Win Together PAC had reported spending roughly $7 million<\/a> on its campaign, including mails ads, text messages, door-to-door canvassing, TV ads and even paid influencers urging voters to support the new arena.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BrookHollowLibrary_ElectionDay_VotingPollingSite_PropsAB_Rodeo_ProjectMarvel_05_11.04.2025_AmberEspa.jpeg\")
Voters wait in line outside of the Brook Hollow Library polling location during Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"Bexar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/full.png\")
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Rodeo CEO Cody Davenport informs attendees of the election result that Prop A stands at 57% in early votes with hopes for it to pass. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n