ElectionPrep AI

First — great instinct not to skip the down-ballot races. Those offices often have more direct impact on your daily life than the ones that get all the attention.

Let me look up what's actually on Austin's November 2026 ballot before I give you any candidate information.Here's the honest situation — and it's actually good news for you timing-wise.

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What I Found: Austin November 3, 2026 Election

The candidate filing deadline is August 17, 2026. That's still months away, which means most candidate lists — especially for city council, school board, and local judges — are not finalized yet. I won't invent names or fill that gap with speculation. What I can do is set you up so that when candidates are announced, you'll know exactly what to look for and where.

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First-Timer Orientation: What You're Actually Voting On

Here's a quick map of the down-ballot races you mentioned and why they matter for your issues specifically:

🏙️ Austin City Council (the race most directly tied to housing & transit)

Austin uses a district system — you vote only in your district. The November 2026 election includes City Council seats for Districts 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9. City Council controls zoning laws, development approvals, housing policy, and the city budget — which funds Austin's public transit system, CapMetro. This is the single most relevant race for your two issues.

👉 First step: Figure out which district you live in. You can do that at [austintexas.gov/GIS/CouncilDistrictMap](https://www.austintexas.gov/GIS/CouncilDistrictMap) — just enter your address.

🏫 Austin ISD School Board

School board members set policy, budgets, and leadership for Austin's public schools. They don't directly control housing or transit, but they influence things like school siting decisions that affect neighborhood development. These races are lower-profile but often decided by very small numbers of votes — your vote here carries real weight.

⚖️ Judges

In Texas, judges run in partisan elections — which surprises a lot of first-time voters. You'll likely see races for Travis County district courts and possibly state appellate courts. Judges don't make housing or transit policy, but they rule on cases involving those issues (zoning disputes, tenant rights cases, etc.). I'll give you a framework for evaluating judicial candidates when those names are confirmed.

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What To Do Right Now

Since candidates haven't filed yet, here's your action plan:

| When | What to do |

|---|---|

| Now | Find your Council district (link above) |

| Now | Register to vote if you haven't — deadline will be ~October 5, 2026 |

| After Aug 17 | Check [austintexas.gov/department/elections](https://www.austintexas.gov/department/elections) for the official candidate list |

| Fall 2026 | The League of Women Voters Austin Area will sponsor City Council Candidate Panels — free public events where you can hear candidates speak |

| Fall 2026 | The League of Women Voters also publishes a nonpartisan Voters Guide covering local races — that's a reliable resource |

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How Your Issues Map to These Races

When candidates are announced, here's what to listen for on housing affordability and public transit:

Housing affordability — look for candidates' positions on: zoning reform (allowing more density), affordability requirements for new developments, tenant protections, and how they've voted or spoken on past Austin housing bond measures.

Public transit — look for candidates' positions on: CapMetro funding, the Project Connect light rail plan (a major ongoing Austin transit initiative), bike infrastructure, and pedestrian access.

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Come back after August 17 and I'll build you full candidate profiles for every race in your district, structured identically so you can compare them head to head. In the meantime — do you know which Council district you're in, or would you like help figuring that out? And do you want me to explain anything else about how any of these races work?