AISD Trustee Races See New Leaders, One Seat May Require Runoff

Unofficial early voting results from Travis County indicate that new candidates are ahead in four of the five Austin Independent School District trustee races.

The data, released at 8:37 p.m. on Tuesday, does not include votes cast on Election Day. Thirteen candidates competed for five of the nine seats on the board: single-member districts 1, 4, 6 and 7, and At-Large Position 9. A candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote to win outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election in December.

In Trustee District 1, incumbent Candace Hunter leads challenger Cheryl Bradley with 58.37% of the early vote. Hunter received 11,034 votes to Bradley's 7,868. Hunter is the only current trustee seeking reelection, meaning at least four new members will join the board. This marks the first time since 2014 that every AISD trustee race on the ballot was contested.

Challengers hold the lead in the other four races. In District 4, Jessica Neufeld leads with 59.11% of the early vote, totaling 17,829 ballots. Tricia Mitchell Kim trails with 27.84%, or 8,398 votes, and Edward Bradfield has 13.05%, or 3,936 votes. In District 6, Sarah Dille leads with 60.45% of the early vote, or 14,736 ballots. Alex San Martin holds 19.85%, or 4,839 votes, and Marie Lebron holds 19.70%, or 4,802 votes. In District 7, Laurie Solis leads with 59.63% of the early vote, or 16,777 ballots. Jimmy Counihan trails with 40.37%, or 11,357 votes.

The At-Large Position 9 race has no clear leader. Pamela Mathai holds 44.63% of the early vote, with 74,038 ballots. Cynthia Soliz is close behind with 42.34%, or 70,245 votes. Kirk Becker holds 13.03%, or 21,611 votes. Because no candidate has a majority, this race will likely proceed to a runoff.

The board faces potential state intervention regardless of the election outcomes. In August, the Texas Education Agency gave Burnet and Webb middle schools their fifth consecutive failing rating. Under state law, this requires the education commissioner to close the campuses or replace the elected board. The new trustees may take office with limited authority while this issue is resolved.

All results remain unofficial until the votes are canvassed. The date for any runoff elections will be set after the final results from November 3 are certified.