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!
City of Austin, Mayor
Overview: Though technically Austin’s mayor does not have much more power than other City Council members, it is the only position elected by the entire city, which means there is a lot more attention on the office. This year, because the city voted to change election years to coincide with presidential races, the person elected to the office will only serve two years.
Related Articles:
Israel and Watson will head to December runoff in the race to elect Austin’s next mayor
Mayoral candidates outline plans to make housing more affordable
Kirk Watson, a ‘fixture’ of Central Texas, wants to be mayor again
City of Austin, City Council, District 3
Overview: District 3 brings together three distinct neighborhoods – Central East Austin, Riverside and Far South Austin. This year, incumbent Pio Renteria is stepping down, leaving an open seat for the two runoff candidates hoping to be the second representative elected to lead the district.
Related Articles:
District 3 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part I
District 3 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part II
City of Austin, City Council, District 5
Overview: District 5 runs along South Lamar Boulevard, further south along Westgate Boulevard. Even further south, it takes a right turn and picks up the South Park area on the far south edge of town and wanders east across I-35 to the well-to-do Onion Creek Country Club area. This year, incumbent Ann Kitchen is retiring after running uncontested the last go-around and the field has been narrowed to two candidates.
Related Articles:
District 5 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part I
District 5 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part II
City of Austin, City Council, District 9
Overview: District 9, which is only 12 square miles in size, is bordered by MoPac and Lamar boulevards on the west, Manor Road and Interstate 35 on the east, Oltorf Street on the south and 51st Street on the north. District 9 includes most of downtown and the University of Texas campus but does not include the Capitol or most of the state office complex. Residential neighborhoods include Bouldin and Travis heights to the south, Clarksville and Hyde Park on the north and Cherrywood and Mueller on the east. This year, with incumbent Kathie Tovo stepping aside, District 9 was also home to the most crowded City Council race — eight candidates competed against each other in the general election, which is now headed to a runoff with the top two of that field.
Related Articles:
District 9 City Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part I
District 9 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part II
Campaign Finance
Related Articles:
Lawsuit challenging city decision on Fair Campaign money fails
Which candidates will receive the city’s Fair Campaign money?
Reports show wide disparities in fundraising among candidates
Voter FAQs and Tools
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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