AUSTIN, Texas — Early voting is wrapping up for the midterm election, and Election Day is March 3rd.

With federal offices, statewide races, and local propositions on the ballot, it’s a packed slate. And for many voters, preparing can feel overwhelming.

Josh Baer knows that feeling well.

“Every year I put an hour on my calendar or two to where I’m supposed to get ready to vote,” Baer said. “I’m supposed to read the voting guides and kind of get prepared. And to be honest, it never seems to work. I always just actually don’t feel very prepared.”

Baer is the founder and CEO of Capital Factory, a startup accelerator and investment hub. This year, instead of struggling through the ballot, he turned to artificial intelligence.

He gave AI two specific instructions.

“I said, one, go download all the best nonpartisan voting guides so that you can read all of them and know what’s going on,” Baer explained. “And then two, I said, interview me so you understand my kind of voting preferences. And then tell me who I should vote for and why.”

Within seconds, the AI generated a nine-page report. It broke down every race and proposition, recommended who he should vote for, and explained why. It also created a condensed cheat sheet for Election Day.

“It was really amazing,” Baer said. “And I felt the most prepared I’ve ever felt going into voting.”

That experience sparked a bigger idea.

ALSO| Austin Startup Turns Thought Into Motion for Amputees

KEYE

Baer decided to build a website so others could do the same thing. He began what’s known as “vibe coding,” using AI tools to help create the platform.

“It took a few days of me tinkering around with it, but really just from that prompt, I got this incredible website where anybody can go and do the same thing I did,” he said. “And then I said, make it safe. Ensure it’s nonpartisan. Make sure it’s open, and people can trust it.”

The result is TXVotes.app.

Baer says Anthropic’s Claude AI handled much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes. But he didn’t stop there.

He also asked other AI systems — including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, xAI’s Grok, and Google’s Gemini — to review the site and suggest improvements. He then used their feedback to refine the tool.

Baer says privacy and transparency are central to the app’s design.

“You can look at the website and see how it works and why it works,” he said. “But most importantly, in just about five minutes, you can be the most prepared you’ve ever been for any election you’ve walked into.”

As early voting continues, Baer hopes the tool can make researching the ballot faster, easier, and less intimidating for voters across Texas.

A blood-red moon will soon grace the skies for a total lunar eclipse — and there won’t be another until late 2028.

The spectacle will be visible Tuesday morning from North America, Central America and the western part of South America. Australia and eastern Asia can catch it Tuesday night. Partial stages of the eclipse with small bites taken out of the moon can be seen from Central Asia and much of South America. Africa and Europe will be shut out.

Solar and lunar eclipses happen due to a precise alignment of the sun, moon and Earth. There are between four and seven a year, according to NASA.

The eclipses tend to follow each other, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the celestial bodies’ orbits. Tuesday’s total eclipse of the moon comes two weeks after a ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse that dazzled people and penguins in Antarctica.

During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth is between the sun and full moon, casting a shadow that covers the moon. The so-called blood moon looks red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere.

The show unfolds over several hours, with totality lasting about an hour.

Compared to a solar eclipse, “the lunar eclipse is a little more of a relaxed pace,” said Catherine Miller at Middlebury College’s Mittelman Observatory.

For those in the path, there’s no need for any special equipment to observe — just a clear, cloudless view of the sky.

Use a forecasting app or any online celestial calendar to look up the exact timing for your area. Venture outside a few times to see Earth’s shadow darken the moon, eventually revealing the reddish-orange orb.

“You don’t have to be out there the whole time to see the shadows moving,” said astronomer Bennett Maruca with the University of Delaware.

There’s a partial lunar eclipse on the docket for August, visible across the Americas, Europe, Africa and west Asia.

While most people are looking forward to seeing the eclipse, throughout history — many people saw eclipses as omens of doom. Some superstitions and fears still exist. NBC 5 producer Sara Sanchez learned more from historians and eclipse experts.

Austin Animal Services is hosting a free, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter for cats and dogs now through March 2 in North Austin.

The five-day clinic, which is being held in partnership with Greater Good Charities, is taking place at 11580 Stonehollow Dr., Suite 160. Registration and drop-off begin on-site each day from 7:30-10 a.m. or until capacity is reached.

In addition to free spay/neuter surgeries, pets receiving surgery will also receive vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, and microchips, ensuring that they return home healthier and better protected.

Spaying and neutering is the most effective tool in preventing unplanned litters and reducing the number of stray and surrendered animals entering local shelters. Managing overpopulation helps individual owners and also strengthens community health by reducing roaming animals, easing shelter overcrowding, and decreasing long-term strain on animal welfare resources.

This is the seventh free clinic the city has hosted since 2024. The previous six clinics provided spay/neuter services to more than 6,000 pets. The upcoming clinic is expected to complete approximately 1,200 surgeries in just five days. It is a significant investment in prevention that helps reduce future shelter intake and supports responsible pet ownership across Austin.

High-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinics offered at no cost are rare, and many pet owners face procedure costs ranging from $75 to several hundred dollars, along with wait times that can stretch for weeks or months. This clinic removes those barriers by providing same-day services at no charge.

“This clinic is about prevention,” said Austin Animal Services Director Monica Dangler. “When we provide accessible spay and neuter services, we’re helping families care for their pets while also reducing strain on shelters like ours and improving safety across our community.”