As we have reviewed the results from Saturday, it has become clear that the election, while disappointing in some respects, was a big win for democracy in Austin. I’ll be sharing some analysis of the election results for the democracy reform propositions on this feed.

Prop D, the amendment to move the mayoral election to presidential years, passed with more than two-thirds of the vote, 67% to 33%. It won in every district in the city, winning with 70% or more of the vote on the east side (Districts 1 thru 4) and in the urban core (District 9).

This victory comes despite the fact that relative turnout in east and central Austin was significantly lower than turnout in west Austin, compared to 2020 levels, as seen in this chart:

Now, as a result of our work, the mayor we are scheduled to elect in 2022 will serve a two-year term, allowing Austin to hold a mayoral election in November of 2024 and every four years thereafter, when turnout will be highest and most diverse.

We will be the only city of one million people or more to hold an open mayoral election in presidential years. No other big city empowers its largest and most representative electorate to choose its highest elected official.