Runoff candidates who followed the rules for receiving disbursements from Austin’s Fair Campaign Finance Fund are expecting to receive thousands of dollars to help them in the Dec. 13 runoff election. Those candidates include Daniela Silva and Linda Guerrero and possibly José Velásquez, Zohaib Qadri and Ryan Alter. Silva and Velásquez will be competing in […]
Elections
Posted inElections
Austin ISD’s $2.44 billion bond package passes with overwhelming support
Lee esta historia en español If results do not appear below, refresh the web page. Voters have approved Austin ISD’s $2.44 billion bond package, the largest in the district’s history. Five seats on the AISD Board of Trustees were also up for grabs. Four new members were elected to the board and one incumbent won […]
Posted inElections
Guerrero and Qadri set for runoff in District 9
With six candidates on the ballot and the incumbent term-limited, the District 9 City Council race fulfilled its promise Tuesday night as one of the most competitive contests on the ballot. None of the candidates cleared the 50 percent threshold needed, so progressive political professional Zo Qadri and longtime educator and environmentalist Linda Guerrero will […]
Posted inElections
Israel and Watson will head to December runoff in the race to elect Austin’s next mayor
Lee esta historia en español More than half of Austin voters could not agree on one candidate to be the city’s next mayor, so voters will return to the polls in a month to determine the winner. Celia Israel had 40% of the vote and Kirk Watson had 35%, according to unofficial results. Because both […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Voters strongly back $350M proposal for affordable housing
Voters strongly approved the city’s latest bond proposal to create more affordable housing, giving the city another $350 million to direct toward housing acquisition, repair and rental programs. The vote totals from Travis County as well as portions of Hays and Williamson counties covered by the proposition had it winning by just over 70 percent, […]
Posted inElections
District 3 Council race headed to a runoff
José Velásquez and Daniela Silva are poised to go head-to-head in a runoff after election results Tuesday night show the two candidates garnered the most votes for the District 3 City Council member seat. Velásquez received 7,650 votes for 36.43 percent of the vote, while Silva trailed just behind with 7,228 votes for 34.42 percent. […]
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Bazan, Alter set for runoff in District 5
Six candidates lined up this year to take the seat held by retiring City Council Member Ann Kitchen, who has served District 5 since 2015. When the votes were counted on Tuesday, the two candidates whose campaigns emphasize streamlining development regulations, including compatibility standards to speed up building new housing, remained in the ring. Stephanie […]
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Ellis and Harper-Madison easily win reelection to Council
In some of the least-surprising news Tuesday night had to offer, City Council incumbents Natasha Harper-Madison and Paige Ellis both held on to their seats in decisive victories over their opponents. In District 1, Harper-Madison, who has served on Council since 2019 and was mayor pro tem in 2021, ended the night with almost 54 […]
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How to get a free or cheap ride to go vote in the Austin area
You shouldn’t need a car to cast a ballot, but in a car-centric city like Austin, sometimes transportation is the biggest obstacle to voting. Lack of access to a car depresses turnout most among young voters and non-white voters, according to researchers at Harvard. So here are some free or discounted ways to get to a […]
Posted inElections
Reports show wide disparities in fundraising among candidates
Last week, candidates running for City Council submitted their final campaign finance reports before Tuesday’s election, revealing a wide array of funds across campaigns and districts. DISTRICT 9 With Council Member Kathie Tovo stepping down, numerous people are vying to take the downtown seat. The major contenders seem to be Linda Guerrero, Tom Wald and […]
Posted inElections
Five seats on the Austin ISD school board are up for election. These are the candidates.
This fall’s election is poised to have a significant impact on Austin ISD’s future. There is a $2.44 billion bond package on the ballot, which is the largest in district history. If voters approve the bond, the district will be able to rebuild and renovate schools, fix critical infrastructure issues, improve athletic facilities and invest in technology. […]
Posted inElections
Reports show Watson spending far ahead of the pack
Mayoral candidate Kirk Watson, who wishes to claim the center seat again, has raised and spent far more money than any other candidate in his race – or any of the others up for election next week. Watson, a former mayor and former senator, reported that he had spent more than $830,000 while receiving more […]