December 2022 City of Austin Runoff Election: Voter Resource
In November, Austin voters turned out to cast ballots in the mayoral and City Council elections. While incumbent Council members Natasha Harper-Madison (District 1) and Paige Ellis (District 8) won reelection, the rest of the contests weren’t as clear. Because no single candidate in Districts 3, 5, 9 or the mayoral race won more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates in each of those races move on to a special runoff election. Early voting in the runoff starts on December 1, with election day on December 13. Below, we’ve collected our coverage of the elections in the hope that you might head off to the polls more well-informed. Happy voting!
Key Dates
- December 1: First day of in-person early voting
- December 9: Last day of in-person early voting
- December 13: Election day
Where do I vote in person?
In Travis County, registered voters may cast their ballots at any voting location, both during early voting and on election day. You can find a list of those locations and voting times on the website of the Travis County Clerk’s Office. While the election is underway, the clerk’s office also hosts a map that includes wait times at locations.
What do I need to know on voting day?
In order to cast a ballot, residents must be registered to vote, which can be confirmed online. Texans not previously registered can do so online, though that must be done 30 days before the election date and printed applications must be mailed.
In general, voters in Texas must bring photo ID to the polls. Under these rules, a photo ID can be a Texas driver’s license, Texas election identification certificate, Texas personal identification card, Texas handgun license, U.S. military card (with a photo), U.S. citizenship certificate (with a photo), or U.S. passport. Voters aged 18-69 may use a form of ID that is expired, if that expiration date is four years old or less. Voters 70 and older may use IDs that have expired more than four years ago. Registered voters who are not able to obtain a photo ID may vote by signing a Voter’s Declaration of Reasonable Impediment or Difficulty along with providing a non-photo ID that includes their address.
A number of common-sense rules tend to be posted at polling locations. This memo from the Texas director of elections does a good job of running through those rules. In short: firearms, electioneering, collecting signatures on a petition and wireless devices are not allowed within the 100-foot markers at each polling location. Electioneering is actively campaigning for something on the ballot, and that 100-foot perimeter expands to 1,000 feet if you are doing it via amplified sound. Wireless devices include cell phones, cameras, tablets, laptops and sound recorders. However, some exceptions are made for people with disabilities.
How do I decide how to vote?
How you vote is your decision, but there are several ways to get informed about the issues that will be on the ballot. In addition to our coverage of the election, several outlets around town have information on the election. (Note: The Austin Monitor does not endorse any of these endorsements, though we do read them.)
Endorsements (as they become available)
Guides (as they become available)
Why should I vote?
Austin has a great record when it comes to voter registration; more than 97 percent of Travis County residents are registered to vote. However, we tend to fall short when it comes to local elections.
We generally do OK in presidential elections. In Travis County, the November 2020 election saw turnout just slightly over 71 percent of all registered voters.
But in May 2019, only 6 percent of registered voters in Travis County bothered to vote. Though this year’s runoff offers a citywide mayoral race on the ballot, such elections typically have similarly dismal turnout. The good news: if you want your vote to count, this is the election to participate in! Local elections have the potential to fundamentally change the way Austin operates, and a strong democracy relies on voter participation.
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