Government

The front of Austin's downtown City Hall

Vote downtown at City Hall starting Mon., Oct. 24. | Photo by ATXtoday

At ATXtoday, we aim to cover local elections in a way that educates and activates our community with unbiased information to encourage individual voter participation. (I.e. vote for whoever + whatever you want to, just make sure to vote.) To learn more, check out our Editorial Ethics Policy.

Tues., Nov. 8 is the big day — aka Election Day — and we’ve done the Googling so you don’t have to. To make this election as easy as possible, we’ve curated need-to-know information about how and where to vote, along with what we’re voting on, from Austin’s new mayor to school district bonds. 👇

Are you registered?

First things first, make sure you’re eligible + registered to vote.

If you’re not registered yet, the deadline is Tues., Oct. 11. Start your voter registration application online here.

Find your polling location

Travis County polling places will be open on Tues., Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re unsure where to go, you can request voter information that provides your registration status + polling location.

A map of Travis County polling locations — Find your polling location at the Travis County Clerk’s website.

What are we voting on?

Depending on where you live in Travis County, you’ll be voting for:

Federal offices:

US Representative for Districts 10, 17, 21, 35, and 37

State offices:

Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
State Senator for Districts 14, 21, 25
State Representative for Districts 19, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51

See 12 other statewide positions up for vote on the full ballot here.

County offices:

County Judge
County Clerk
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2

City offices:

City of Austin Mayor
City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 8, 9

See ballots for other cities in Travis County, such as Sunset Valley, Pflugerville, Lakeway, and Manor here.

Propositions

City of Austin Proposition A
Austin ISD Propositions A, B, and C

Now we know what’s on the ballot, it’s time to break down who’s on the ballot. Get to know our candidates at the button below.

BALLOT BREAKDOWN

Sharing is caring — especially when it comes to civic responsibility. Use the buttons below to keep your friends informed this election season.

EVENTS

Click here to have your event featured.

Today

The Art Gathering at Music Hill | Fri., Sept. 30 | 6-10 p.m. | Music Hill Ranch | $50+ | Take in art by Raphael Crump and Daniela Pasqualini at this auction benefiting the Robb School Memorial Fund for families in Uvalde. 🖼
American Indian Heritage Day | Fri., Sept. 30 | 6-8 p.m. | Bullock Texas State History Museum | Free | Explore museum exhibits + honor American Indian heritage with dancing and drumming performances — additional programming is available for museum visitors from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
UT Soccer vs. Baylor | Fri., Sept. 30 | 7 p.m. | Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field | Free | Cheer on the Longhorns as they face down the Bears. ⚽️

Saturday

Texas Craft Brewers Festival | Sat., Oct. 1 | 2 p.m. | Fiesta Gardens | $20+ | More than 80 local craft breweries will serve 200+ handcrafted beers at this fest, which also features live music and food trucks. 🍺
Cavern Fall Fest | Sat., Oct. 1 | Times vary | Natural Bridge Caverns | Free | Check out the first weekend of this month-long festival featuring a hay maze, trick or treating, live music, and yard games. 🍂
Zakir Khan Live | Sat., Oct. 1 | 7 p.m. | The Paramount Theatre | $55+ | The stand-up comedian will perform his “uniquely Indian” comedy set in Hindi.

Sunday

Outside Voices at Waterloo Park | Sun., Oct. 2 | 1-3 p.m. | Meredith Heritage Tree Deck, Waterloo Park | Free | Bring a picnic blanket and settle in for opera, musical theater, and pop music — complimentary beverages will be provided. 🎶
Oktoberfest at Four Seasons Hotel | Sun., Oct. 2 | 3-6 p.m. | Four Seasons Hotel | $20 | This afternoon Oktoberfest celebration serves up curated traditional food by German chef Elmar Prambs. 🍗

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*

100+ MORE EVENTS

Wellness

Waking up with neck pain? This might be the culprit.

Marlow offers a 365-day return policy, so you have plenty of time to sleep on it — literally. | Photo provided by Marlow

If you constantly wake up with a stiff, sore neck, your pillows might be the problem. ☁️

Here’s why: Pillows that are too flat, stiff, or high strain your neck while you sleep — especially if you’re a side sleeper. Marlow’s pillow is designed to eliminate this issue, with:

Three unique “profiles” (read: angles to support the neck)
Customizable firmness
Cooling technology

Most reviewers say it’s the best pillow they’ve ever used.

Bonus: Bundle your order to save up to 40%, and use code 6AM for an extra 10% off.*

BETTER SLEEP THIS WAY

NEWS NOTES

Weather

88º | Sunny | 0% chance of rain ☀️

Austinite

Four Austinites are in the top 100 richest people in America, leading with — you guessed it — Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO’s $251 billion net worth earned him the top spot on Forbes’ 400 list. Austinites Michael Dell, Robert F. Smith, Joe Gebbia, Bert “Tito” Beveridge, and Thai Lee were also listed. 💰

Biz

Colossal Biosciences, the Texas company working to resurrect the wooly mammoth, is creating a spinoff software company called Form Bio, with Austin-based Andrew Busey as chief product officer. 🦣 (Austin American-Statesman)
Rob Neville is the new CEO of Goodwill Central Texas. Neville was chosen from a pool of 100+ candidates, and has previously worked as founder + CEO of Savara, a biopharma company. (Austin Business Journal)

Transit

Following positive experiences with the agency’s current electric bus fleet, CapMetro confirmed plans to purchase 157 more electric buses at a cost of ~$300 million over the next five years. 🚍 (Austin Chronicle)

Civic

The city’s Planning Commission approved rezoning for a potential mixed-use project at 3020 E. Cesar Chavez St. The proposed development could include ~185 units of housing, with 19 units set aside as affordable housing. (Austin Monitor)

Film

Avenida Entertainment Group, an LA-based, Latino-owned film + television studio, has its sights set on opening a location in Austin. The studio has co-produced multiple award-winning films, including the documentary “Our Quinceañera.” 🎥 (Austin Business Journal)

Plan Ahead

Dustin Hoffman + Sissy Spacek will be in the Capital City next month for the 29th annual Austin Film Festival. The two actors will be joined by their costars and children Jake Hoffman and Schuyler Fisk for the premier of their new movie, “Sam & Kate.” (Austin American-Statesman)

Sports

Austin FC is the only North American soccer team to partner with Adidas for its new Samba collection. Get your custom Verde and Black sneaker online now — shooting skills not included. 👟 (KVUE)

Holiday

It may not even be October yet, but that doesn’t mean ‘tisnt the season. Trail of Lights went on sale yesterday, and Circuit of the Americas announced Peppermint Parkway will return this year, with tickets going on sale Tues., Nov. 1. 🎄 (Austin American-Statesman)
If waiting until December to celebrate seems a bit too far away, lean into the spooky vibes at Blue Starlite drive-in’s recently announced Halloween special showings. 🎃 (CultureMap Austin)

Travel

Who’s planning on traveling out of AUS for the Thanksgiving holiday? Pro tip: It’s never too early to book those flights. Pro, pro tip: Scott’s Cheap Flights Elite Plan gets you up to 90% off premium economy, business, and first class seats. ✈️*

Real Estate

For Raynette + Jim Costanza, selling their investment property made the transition to retirement even sweeter. See how they did it.*

Learn

Bom dia, Austin. Learning a new language can feel difícil (that’s Portuguese for “difficult”), but with Babbel, it doesn’t have to be. Their bite-size, 10-minute lessons are designed to fit your lifestyle — and right now, you can get 55% off your subscription.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Events

Put on your dancing shoes 🎶

A stage littered with confetti while musicians perform, as seen from the crowd.

UTOPiA Fest’s lineup features Sir Woman, Erin Ivey, Mixer Rogers, and more than a dozen other artists. | Photo provided by UTOPiA Fest, Ismael Quintanilla III

Have y’all heard of ACL?

Nah, we’re just kidding. But what’s not a joke is the sheer number of music festivals happening in and around Austin this fall.

We’re talking music + yoga in a Hill Country setting, an Outlaw Masquerade Ball, and traditional Celtic tunes. Music maniacs, now’s the time to add these seven festivals to your calendar.

UTOPiAfest | Fri., Oct. 14-Sat., Oct. 15. | Reveille Peak Ranch, 105 Co. Rd. 114, Burnet | $30+ | Jam out to artists such as Sir Woman + Mixer Rogers at this family-friendly fest that also features yoga, craft vendors, hiking, and disc golf.

Lucktoberfest | Fri., Oct. 28-Sun., Nov. 6 | Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch, 1100 Bee Creek Rd., Spicewood | $35+ | 10 days of musical events feature artists such as Orville Peck, Los Lobos, and Tanya Tucker.

Seismic Dance Event | Fri., Nov. 11-Sun., Nov. 13 | The Concourse Project | $129+ | Wear comfortable shoes — or don’t — and be ready to dance all night at this music showcase featuring Fatboy Slim, LP Giobbi, and Charlotte de Witte.

FOUR MORE FESTS

THE WRAP

The Moody Center stage, with Harry Styles mid-performance in the center — City Editor London attended the Harry Styles concert at the Moody Center Wednesday night, and she’d never before seen so many feather boas in one place.

Today’s issue was written by London.

Editor’s pick: I got to visit Harry’s House this week, and he was an excellent host.

In case you haven’t heard, Harry Styles is in the middle of a six-night takeover of the downtown Moody Center. During Wednesday night’s show, Harry was dressed head-to-toe in orange — which I’m choosing to interpret as a fashion-forward hook’em. 🤘

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Here’s where to get birthday freebies in Austin.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Laura Figi, London Gibson, Dayten Rose, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea, Josh Kranzberg | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Julie Brown | Advertise with us.

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