2024 Austin mayoral election

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2024 Austin mayoral election
Flag of Austin, Texas.svg
←  2022 November 5, 20242028 →
  Watson Groundbreaking 5.3.23 (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg
Candidate Kirk Watson Carmen Llanes Pulido
Popular vote175,09670,540
Percentage50.0041%20.14%
  Kathie Tovo.png 3x4.svg
CandidateKathie TovoJeffrey Bowen
Popular vote58,28029,383
Percentage16.64%8.39%
Mayor before election

Kirk Watson

Elected mayor

Kirk Watson

The 2024 Austin mayoral election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the next mayor of Austin, Texas. [1] The election was nonpartisan; the candidates' party affiliations affiliations did not appear on the ballot. Incumbent mayor Kirk Watson was running for re-election, after returning to the position of mayor following the 2022 election. [2] On November 15, over a week after election day, Watson was declared the apparent winner of the race after securing 50.0041% of the vote. In the final tally, Watson was a mere 13 votes over the cutoff to avoid a runoff with Carmen Llanes Pulido.

Contents

Due to the passage of Prop D in 2021, this is the first Austin mayoral election to coincide with a presidential election. [3]

Candidates

Declared

Results

Following election day, unofficial results from Travis, Williamson and Hays County, with 100% of the precincts reporting, showed incumbent mayor Kirk Watson with 50.01% of the vote and 31 raw votes over the 50% plus one threshold to avoid a runoff with Pulido. [9] At the time, there remained some outstanding ballots yet to be processed, including overseas and military ballots, provisional ballots, and mail-in ballots received the day after election day. On November 13, over a week after election day, the election had still not been called, with an estimated 3,200 provisional ballots yet to be reviewed. [10] [11]

On November 15, KXAN declared Watson the apparent winner of the race after the uncertified final tally showed him with 50.0041% of the vote and 14 raw votes over the threshold to avoid a runoff. Subsequently, Watson declared victory in the race, while Pulido refused to concede saying the race remained too close to call. Travis County and Williamson County did a canvas on November 15 and November 19, respectively, while Hays County's results were official by November 15. On November 18, a final batch of 20 provisional ballots were added from Travis County, with Watson 13 votes above the threshold. [12] The deadline, according to the Texas Secretary of State, for the posts to be finalized was November 19. [13] [14]

On November 21, Pulido requested a recount of 11 specific precincts in Williamson County, but her request was refused because state law demands the recount to be of the entire jurisdiction rather than select parts. [15] On November 22, Pulido conceded the race and said she would not be pursuing a recount or any further actions challenging the outcome. [16]

November 5 general election results
CandidateVotes %
Kirk Watson 175,09650.0041%
Carmen Llanes Pulido70,55020.14%
Kathie Tovo58,28016.64%
Jeffrey Bowen29,3838.39%
Doug Greco16,8654.82%

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References

  1. ↑ Reader, Grace (December 26, 2023). "LIST: Who's running for Austin City Council, mayor in 2024?". KXAN-TV . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  2. ↑ Price, Asher (January 24, 2024). "Austin mayoral race heats up". Axios . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ↑ Miznazi, Ashley (May 1, 2021). "Props D and E pass, changing how Austin elections work". KXAN-TV . Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  4. ↑ Moreno-Lozano, Luz (August 20, 2024). "Jeffery Bowen becomes fifth candidate to enter Austin mayoral race". KUT . Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  5. ↑ Moreno-Lozano, Luz (February 5, 2024). "Doug Greco, former director of Central Texas Interfaith, enters race for Austin mayor". KUT . Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ Finnerty, Katharine (January 24, 2024). "Community organizer Carmen Llanes Pulido enters the Austin mayoral race". Spectrum News . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  7. ↑ Moreno-Lozano, Luz (January 19, 2024). "Former City Council Member Kathie Tovo enters race to become Austin mayor". KUT . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ McCarthy, Ella (April 10, 2024). "Austin Mayor Kirk Watson to run for reelection; 4th candidate so far on November ballot". Austin American-Statesman .
  9. ↑ "Election results: Kirk Watson appears to narrowly avoid runoff to win race for Austin mayor". kvue.com. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Why the Austin mayoral race is still too close to call". KXAN Austin. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  11. ↑ "When will the Austin mayoral race be called?". KXAN Austin. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  12. ↑ "20 Travis County ballots added to election totals Monday night, Watson still on top". KXAN Austin. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ McCarthy, Ella. "Kirk Watson declares victory in mayoral race while Carmen Llanes Pulido holds out hope". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Mayor Kirk Watson apparent winner in Austin mayoral race". KXAN Austin. November 15, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Carmen Llanes Pulido requests recount in Austin mayoral race, petition 'defective'". KXAN Austin. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Austin mayoral candidate Carmen Llanes Pulido drops recount pursuit, concedes race". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. November 22, 2024.
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