Early voting ends with more than 426,000 Travis County ballots. What Austin voters need to know for Tuesday

Early voting in Travis County closed Friday night with more than 426,000 ballots cast, CBS Austin reported. That is more than 100,000 above the nearly 311,000 early ballots cast in the county in the 2022 midterm, according to the station. Friday was the busiest day of the period, with long lines at some sites, FOX 7 reported.

For Austin residents, it means most of the city's decisions on Nov. 3 may already be in the ballot boxes. A Rice University political scientist told CBS Austin he expects only about a quarter of all votes to be cast on Election Day. That is his projection, not a count.

Our update on Thursday had the total at about 365,000. The numbers in this story are unofficial; the county will post final early-vote figures.

Tuesday, Nov. 3

• Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Where: Travis County uses countywide vote centers. Registered voters can vote at any listed site. Locations and wait times are at votetravis.gov. The city's voter resources page links to sample ballots.
• Weather: KVUE's forecasters expect a drier Halloween weekend before a cold front brings storms on Election Day. Plan for rain and possibly longer waits.
• Williamson and Hays counties: Austin residents who live in those counties vote under their own county's system. The council's election ordinance adopts each county's voting system.

What is on Austin's ballot

Five council seats. Districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 are up. Our race guides cover each one: District 1, District 3, District 5, District 8 and District 9. Districts 1 and 8 have no incumbent running.

Two bond propositions. Proposition A and Proposition B would borrow $260 million and $35 million for parks, recreation centers and libraries.

Eight charter amendments. Our guide to Propositions C through J explains each, including Proposition I, which would require recurring outside audits of the city.

The money. Council candidates spent just over $965,000 this year through Oct. 24, and local political committees spent about $1.2 million, Community Impact reported from the final pre-election reports. Our finance story breaks down those reports by race.

What our records add

How the council set this election. The council ordered the council election, the bond election and the charter election this summer, then amended all three on Oct. 8 to add the final early-voting schedule, polling places and joint election agreements. Each amendment passed 11-0 (council seats, bonds, charter).

A majority is required. Council members are elected by a majority of voters in their district, according to the draft election ordinance. With six candidates in District 1 and five each in Districts 3 and 9, a runoff between the top two is possible in any of them.

How the bonds got here. The council's August resolution directing staff to prepare the bond ordinance passed 8-3, with Council Members José Velásquez and Marc Duchen and Mayor Kirk Watson voting no. The bond package itself is now up to voters.

What happens next

• Election night: The county posts unofficial results after polls close, starting with early votes.
• Canvass: The council formally canvasses the city results at a special meeting. Last year it canvassed the Nov. 4, 2025, election on Nov. 17.
• Runoffs: Any council runoff would be held in December, as Austin's last runoffs were. The date is set after the canvass.
• The current council keeps working. It meets Nov. 5, two days after the election. Our agenda guide covers what is on it, and our post-election calendar covers what follows.