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Your Austin voting guide for the November elections

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Your Austin voting guide for the November elections


Early voting for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election is underway in Austin, with a record-breaking number of folks showing up for the first day of early voting compared to previous years.

If you haven’t already cast your vote, prepare for the polls with our guide to election season in Austin.

Important dates

  • Early voting | Now-Friday, Nov. 1
  • Last day to apply for Ballot By Mail | Friday, Oct. 25
  • Election Day | Tuesday, Nov. 5

Registration + how to vote

Before you head to the polls, you’ll want to double-check your voter registration status, find your nearest early voting or Election Day voting location, and make sure you have the necessary materials with you.

You can cast your vote at a local polling site:

  • From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. now-Saturday, Oct. 26
  • From 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27
  • From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28-Wednesday, Oct. 30
  • From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (with some locations open until 10 p.m.) Thursday, Oct. 31-Friday, Nov. 1
  • From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5

What’s on the ballot?

Voters will cast their votes for federal offices including the president, senators, and US representatives, but several statewide and local seats will also be up for grabs. In Austin, the following positions have at least two people running for office:

  • Railroad Commissioner
  • Justice, Texas Supreme Court, Places 2, 4, and 6
  • Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Places 1, 7, and 8
  • Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals District, Place 2
  • District Attorney, 53rd Judicial District
  • City of Austin Mayor
  • Austin Community College, Trustee, Places 7 and 9
  • AISD At-Large Position 8

Check the sample ballot to see all of the candidates, including those running unopposed.

In addition to candidates, Travis County residents will vote for or against Proposition A, aka the Travis County CARES resolution. The proposition aims to generate ~$76 million in its first year and provide affordable child care for thousands of children in need. If approved, the proposition would be funded by a 2.5-cent property tax increase per $100 valuation, which equates to an additional ~$126 per year on the average homeowner’s bill.

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Voters within the Austin Independent School District will also vote on Austin ISD Proposition A, which proposes a $0.9505-cent increase per $100 valuation for taxpayers. If passed, the school district would receive an additional $41 million annually, and ~$17.8 million would be used to increase teacher pay. Property taxes for the average homeowner in Austin ISD would increase by ~$34 per month.

You’ve voted… now what?

Several local businesses and restaurants want to celebrate your right to vote by allowing you to show your “I Voted” sticker in exchange for free goodies.

  • Home Slice Pizza | Bring your sticker to either of the pizzeria’s Austin locations for a free slice now through Election Day.
  • The Soup Peddler | Now through Election Day, your “I Voted” sticker will get you a free 8-ounce cup of soup.
  • Austin Beerworks | On Election Day, both of the brewery’s taprooms will give you a free beer if you show up with a sticker.
  • Kerbey Lane Cafe | Bring your sticker to a cafe on Election Day for a free pancake.
  • Mochinut ATX | Show your sticker at the register to receive a free donut now through Election Day.
  • Central Machine Works | Get a free beer between Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Election Day when you show your sticker.
  • Mañana Coffee | When you show your sticker at either location now through Election Day, you’ll receive a free 8-ounce drip coffee.





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Austin, TX

Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building

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Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building


Emo’s in Austin is on the move again. 

After more than a decade at 2015 E. Riverside Drive (following the original Red River-era venue closing in 2011), Emo’s current Riverside space will be taken over by AEG Presents when the lease ends later this year. The Los Angeles, CA-based company will assume operations in January 2027 and plans to reopen the building under a new name in early 2027 following upgrades, renovations and a full rebrand.

AEG are also opening a new 4,000-cap venue nearby next spring as part of the River Park mixed-use development in southeast Austin.

C3 Presents, who reopened Emo’s at the Riverside location, say this isn’t the end of Emo’s — they’re working on a new home and plan to move the venue back to downtown Austin, with more updates to come.

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AEG Presents Vice President Robin Phillips shared the following:

There’s like no weirdness or any bad blood or anything. It just, you know, new lease and they’ll [Emo’s] go do something great. They have been important to the Austin music scene, so I have a lot of respect for them.

But I don’t think the Austin music scene or legacy is limited to one name. I know people will remember the original Emo’s and this Emo’s as, you know, both great venues… And I don’t think Austin’s music scene is just a name, it’s the artists, in my opinion.

 

A C3 spokesperson added:

Emo’s has a long history in Austin and we’ve been working behind the scenes for some time on a new home for this venue. After we wrap up at this venue in December, we will focus our efforts on our new location.

 

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Emo’s gave the following statement to Austin local news KXAN:

We’re grateful for all of the fans and artists who’ve shaped Emo’s to what it is today: a community of like-minded people who love live music. We have a vision for our future and will be moving into a new building downtown that celebrates our punk rock roots with the new amenities that fans are looking for from a venue. We’ll continue to share updates on the next chapter for Emo’s on social media.





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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows

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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows


State and federal agriculture officials said highly pathogenic avian flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in Texas.

What we know:

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Officials said the H5N1 virus was confirmed with laboratory tests in late May after cows at an unspecified farm became sick and milk production dropped. The dairy has since been quarantined and an investigation is underway.

This is the first case of avian flu in a Texas dairy herd this year, officials said.

What they’re saying:

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“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating H5N1, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe,” officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission said in a statement.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026. (Tim Evans/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

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Dig deeper:

H5N1 has a high rate of severe disease and death in animals that become infected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public from avian flu is low. Some sporadic human infections have been reported around the world since 1997. There have been no known cases of person-to-person spreading of avian flu.

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The Source: Information in this story came from the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA, the FDA and the CDC.

TexasHealthPets and AnimalsFood and Drink



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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo

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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo


Self-driving cars have become a common sight on Austin streets, but a new Texas law is adding tougher requirements for the companies behind the wheelless vehicles.

Senate Bill 2807 imposes stricter rules on autonomous vehicle companies operating in the state, including state authorization, emergency response plans for law enforcement, and a public portal where residents can verify operators and file safety complaints.

The changes come as Austin continues to track incidents involving autonomous vehicles. The city’s autonomous vehicle dashboard shows 75 incidents in 2026, including a collision, eight near misses, and seven incidents of ignoring police direction.

Attorney Drew Gibbs, a partner at Slingshot Law, said one crash involved a Waymo vehicle.

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“There was a T-bone collision. A pretty serious T-bone collision where a Waymo just crashed into the side of my client’s vehicle,” Gibbs said.

ALSO| Waymo files voluntary software recall over flooded-lane risks on high-speed roads

KEYE

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One of the incidents of ignoring police direction happened during the mass shooting on West Sixth Street back in March, when three people died, and 15 others were injured.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said autonomous vehicles can struggle in unusual situations.

“It didn’t impede on anything in the moment, but it’s not necessarily uncommon where these vehicles don’t quite know how to deal with these one-off scenarios,” Bullock said.

The new law requires autonomous vehicle companies to be authorized by the state, to provide an emergency response plan for law enforcement, and to participate in a public-facing portal that allows the public to verify operators and submit safety complaints.

Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, welcomed the added oversight.

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“I’m glad that the state is taking this a bit more seriously now,” she said. “It’s important not to just let others slip in without kind of meeting those basic minimums.”

Bullock said the emergency planning requirement may not make a major difference in fast-moving situations. Asked how impactful it is to have a fully laid out emergency response plan, Bullock said, “These plans are great, but it takes time to work through all of those versus the immediacy of having someone behind the wheel.”

The four autonomous vehicle companies operating in Austin — Waymo, Zoox, AV-Ride, and Tesla — are all state-authorized.

The Texas DMV said an autonomous vehicle company can lose its authorization to operate in Texas if the agency deems the vehicles are operating in a way that endangers public safety.

Waymo was contacted for comment, but had not responded.

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