Austin runoff election guide: Who's on the ballot, how to find your polling place

Election runoff day has arrived for Austin's mayoral and City Council races.

The results of today's election will determine the makeup of Austin’s City Council for the next four years.

Every registered voter in Austin may cast a ballot in the mayoral runoff, and residents of Districts 3, 5 and 9 also will be able to choose one of the top two November vote-getters for their council seat.

Austin elections:Austin voters want to end runoffs. So, why is there one Tuesday for mayor, council seats?

Mayor's race

In the mayoral runoff, Celia Israel, a sitting state representative, is matched against Kirk Watson, a former mayor of Austin and former state senator. Neither candidate received a majority of the vote during the November general election, triggering the runoff.

The winner will serve a two-year term, not the usual four years, after voters last year approved a change to the city's charter to align mayoral elections with presidential elections.

Austin mayor's race:Austin mayor's race: Will Israel's younger voters outmatch Watson's established base?

Israel, who was seen by most experts as an underdog in the race, got the most votes in November, largely appealing to a younger and more diverse group of voters. Israel captured 40.5% of the vote Nov. 8.

Watson, long thought to be the front-runner, did better with older, higher-income voters. He got 35% of the vote in November.

Runoffs are generally low-turnout elections, so getting their voters to show up is the main challenge for both Israel and Watson, Austin political consultant and lobbyist Mark Littlefield recently told the American-Statesman.

More:Austin mayor, council runoffs may dictate future of city's housing policies

In the December 2020 runoff, only about 39,000 ballots were cast, compared with the nearly 636,000 ballots in the 2020 general election, according to city clerk election history data. In 2018, it was much the same story: 19,820 ballots were cast in that December's runoff, compared with more than 424,000 ballots in the general election.

Housing affordability has been a key issue for both mayoral candidates. Watson has drawn the support of preservationist groups that usually oppose more housing density in and around single-family neighborhoods, while Israel has won the backing of a number of housing activist groups that favor more multifamily housing.

City Council races

Voters will also choose new council representatives in Districts 3, 5 and 9.

Housing affordability has also been a key issue in the three district races, which all to some extent present a choice between a more well-known candidate and a newcomer.

District 3

In District 3, José Velásquez and Daniela Silva are running to replace two-term Council Member Sabino "Pio" Renteria and represent East Austin and east Central Austin.

Velásquez has said he wants to protect existing affordable housing stock and build more by expediting the permitting process. He said what sets him apart as a candidate is his lived experience and record as a coalition builder who has worked to bridge the divide between new and old Austin.

Silva said she supports eliminating single-family zoning at the municipal level and incentivizing SMART housing, a program that provides fee waivers for development permits in exchange for onsite income-restricted units. She also wants to expand opportunities for homeownership, especially as a way to close the racial wealth gap.

District 5

Candidates Stephanie Bazan and Ryan Alter both support urbanist pro-housing policies. Bazan is better-known in the community, whereas Alter is newer, though he has experience working in the Legislature.

Bazan's housing plan calls for a diversity of options throughout the city, including affordable and market rate housing for renters and buyers. Bazan wants to update the land use rules to allow for more density.

Alter also says he wants to change city policy that incentivizes single-family homes and discourages everything else. His plan calls for 75% of new construction or rentals to be affordable for the majority of residents.

District 9

Newcomer Zohaib Qadri faces Linda Guerrero, who was endorsed by outgoing Council Member Kathie Tovo. Their race presents some significant policy differences, local experts say.

Qadri’s campaign appeared to resonate with University of Texas students, who made up a voting bloc in the midterms. He is calling for reforming zoning rules to encourage density, public transit and climate-friendly growth. Qadri calls housing a "human right" and wants to invest in accessible and sustainable multimodal infrastructure to decrease the overall cost of living.

Guerrero, a teacher, has campaigned on housing policies that align with Tovo's longtime fight to protect single-family neighborhoods from multifamily developments. Guerrero’s housing plan includes combatting displacement, preserving existing affordable housing stock and building more affordable options.

When and where to vote

Polls open at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m.

The Travis County clerk’s office has information about polling locations for election day on its website.

Anyone who registered to vote at least 30 days before election day can vote in the runoff, according to the Travis County Voter Registration Office. You don’t have to have voted in the general election in November to be eligible.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin runoff election guide: Who's on the ballot,, where to vote