This was the first El Paso mayoral election held under new rules which saw a shift from the previous system under which a nonpartisan primary was followed by a general election of the top-two finishers to a new system in which a runoff is held only if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round.[citation needed] This was the last El Paso mayoral election to a two-year term, as terms were to be extended to four-years beginning with the subsequent 2005 election.[citation needed]
No runoff was required, as Wardy secured a majority of the vote in the initial round.