Austin voters have decided the future of police oversight of the Austin Police Department. Proposition A, which would expand oversight, cruised to victory Saturday: 70 percent of voters supported the measure, according to unofficial voting numbers. Proposition B, which would curtail citizen oversight, was voted down by 80 percent of voters. The two propositions were […]
Elections
Posted inBonds & Propositions
City officials say no to bond elections before 2026
The city of Austin has promised voters it would build a wide variety of projects, ranging from roads to affordable housing to parks, libraries and health centers. City financial advisers told the City Council Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday that the total authorization for public improvement bonds is currently at $3.5 billion. But because […]
Posted inElections
May 2023 Austin election ballot propositions: Voter resource
Austin voters will soon decide the fates of two warring police oversight propositions on the May 6 ballot. The election arrives after more than a year of police labor contract negotiations with the Austin Police Association, which City Council scuttled, citing disapproval of former City Manager Spencer Cronk’s handling of the process and a desire […]
Posted inElections
Equity Action announces long list of supporters
Equity Action, the group that gathered signatures to put the original Austin Police Oversight Act on the May ballot, unveiled a list Tuesday of more than 100 community organizations and local leaders who endorse the APOA. The list includes Mayor Kirk Watson, former Mayor Steve Adler, and seven current City Council members including Mayor Pro […]
Posted inElections
Ethics commission sends Ellis letter on campaign finance violations
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has issued a letter of notification to City Council Member Paige Ellis, documenting a handful of campaign contributions that exceeded campaign finance rules and were not returned to donors in a timely fashion. Last week the commission held its initial hearing on a complaint brought by Doug Keenan, a resident […]
Posted inElections
Qadri credits focus on housing in win for D9 seat
Political newcomer Zohaib “Zo” Qadri will represent City Council District 9 beginning in January, defeating challenger Linda Guerrero by 352 votes, according to unofficial totals reported Tuesday night. The final vote for the two-candidate runoff according to Travis County elections officials was 7,276 for Qadri to 6,924 for Guerrero. Qadri’s win brings a marked change […]
Posted inElections
Kirk Watson, who first led the city two decades ago, is elected mayor of Austin again
Lee esta historia en español By a razor-thin margin, Austin voters chose Kirk Watson as the city’s next mayor, electing him to navigate soaring housing costs and contentious fights playing out over how to build for the city’s growing population. Watson squeaked out a win with just 886 more votes than his opponent, state Rep. Celia Israel, […]
Posted inElections
José Velásquez defeats Daniela Silva for District 3 seat
José Velásquez, an activist and fourth-generation Austinite, is set to be District 3’s City Council member after beating out his runoff challenger Daniela Silva on Tuesday night. Velásquez received 4,165 votes for 53.32 percent of the vote, while Silva received 3,646 votes for 46.68 percent. “We’re ready to hit the ground running on day one,” […]
Posted inElections
South Austin picks Ryan Alter for District 5 seat
Although every vote counts, it was clear when the early vote numbers were released Tuesday night that Ryan Alter would prevail over opponent Stephanie Bazan in the contest for the District 5 City Council seat. After eight years in office, Ann Kitchen is retiring and newcomer Alter will be taking over in January. Alter told […]
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Austin is holding runoff elections for mayor and City Council. Why don’t people vote in these races?
Beto O’Rourke. Sure, you’ve heard of him. Greg Abbott? Duh. Herschel Walker. You’ve probably heard of him, too. (If you haven’t, here you are.) But what about Celia Israel? Ryan Alter? Linda Guerrero? Walking out of a coffee shop in North Austin on Monday, Paige Henney conceded those last three names may be less familiar – even […]
Posted inElections
Lawsuit challenging city decision on Fair Campaign money fails
A Travis County judge has denied a temporary restraining order request from two City Council candidates who claim they were wrongly disqualified from receiving public campaign funds. District 3 candidate José Velásquez and District 5 candidate Ryan Alter filed the request in the 455th Civil District Court on Monday morning. The suit claimed they were […]
Posted inElections
Only Silva and Guerrero to get Fair Campaign money
The city’s Law Department has decided that only two runoff candidates – Daniela Silva in District 3 and Linda Guerrero in District 9 – are eligible to receive money from the city’s Fair Campaign Finance Fund. That means each of them will receive half of the $66,126.54 in the fund, or $33,063.27. Guerrero and Silva […]