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Three Austin Council Races Head to Runoff

Districts 1, 3, and 5 will go to runoff elections after the November midterm, with voter registration closing Thursday night.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Elections

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Three Austin City Council races, in Districts 1, 3, and 5, will go to runoff elections, with voter registration for the runoff closing Thursday night. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you plan to vote in the December 12 Austin City Council runoff?

Three Austin City Council races, in Districts 1, 3, and 5, will proceed to runoff elections after the midterm vote. Voter registration for the runoff ends Thursday night.

Why it matters

The runoffs will determine who holds three seats on the 11-member City Council, and could bring as many as four new council members next year. Voters who did not vote in the midterm and are not registered must act before the deadline to participate.

The District 1 race between Misael Ramos and Amber Goodwin was decided by a 73-vote margin in the midterm, making it one of the closest contests on the ballot. The outcome of the runoffs remains unknown until voting concludes on Dec. 12.

The players

Austin City Council

The 11-member governing body of Austin, Texas, which sets city policy and budgets and is up for partial turnover in the runoffs.

Travis County Tax Office

The county office that handles voter registration in Travis County and operates the drop boxes where unregistered voters can submit registration cards.

The details

Natasha Harper-Madison is out of term, leaving the District 1 seat open, while Neha Shah challenges incumbent Jose Velasquez in District 3 and David Weinberg challenges incumbent Ryan Alter in District 5. Selena Xie won the District 8 seat in the midterm. Voters who did not vote in the midterm and are not registered can drop a registration card at Travis County Tax Office drop boxes.

Timeline

  1. Nov. 5, 2026: Midterm election held, with Districts 1, 3, and 5 moving to runoff.

  2. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026: Voter registration deadline for the runoff elections.

  3. Week of Nov. 16, 2026: City Council expected to approve the runoff election.

  4. Nov. 30, 2026: Early voting expected to begin.

  5. Dec. 12, 2026: Runoff Election Day.

Political Context

Austin's runoff schedule follows the process set out in the Texas Election Code for municipal races that do not produce a majority winner in the initial vote. Because Austin's council seats are staggered, a runoff can change only part of the council at a time.

Voters who did not cast a ballot in the midterm must register by Thursday night to take part in the runoffs. Voters already eligible from the midterm do not need to re-register to vote in December.

The takeaway

Check your registration status now, since the runoff registration deadline is Thursday night and late registrants cannot vote in December. Confirming your eligibility early avoids losing the chance to weigh in on close council races.

What happens next

Voter registration for the runoff closes Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, and early voting is expected to begin Nov. 30, with Election Day on Dec. 12, 2026.

Further reading

For more on the candidates and races, see the Austin Elections section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by KEYE.

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Do you plan to vote in the December 12 Austin City Council runoff?