Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

A lot is different about this year's election—record-breaking turnout amid a once-in-a-century pandemic, for starters—but watch parties remain a time-honored tradition. Below is a list of (mostly virtual) events planned for tomorrow evening.
Travis County Democratic Party
(Travis County Democratic Party)
The Travis County Democratic Party will host a virtual election night watch party from 8-10 p.m. The free event will feature speeches from local elected officials and candidates, turnout updates and live election results. An RSVP is required for the event link.
Texas Democratic Party
The Texas Democratic Party and Team MJ, the campaign behind U.S. Senate candidate and Round Rock resident MJ Hegar, is hosting a Facebook Live event, starting at 7 p.m. More information can be found here.
Travis County GOP
The Travis County GOP is hosting an in-person election night watch party at Pinballz Lake Creek in North Austin from 7-10 p.m. Due to capacity limits, an RSVP and wristband are required to attend the free event.
DJ A/C, Real Black Austin and Alpha Kappa Alpha
(DJ A/C)
Local performer DJ A/C, along with local organization Real Black Austin and the Austin chapter of the Howard University sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, is hosting an in-person presidential election watch party at the Gossip Shack at the Domain, starting at 6 p.m. There will be limited patio seating, and masks are required at entry. The free event will also be broadcasted live on Twitch. More information can be found here.
La Politica
(La Politica/Facebook)
Founded by a group of progressive Latinas, La Politica's mission is to create opportunities for Latinx Ausinistes by discussing local issues and taking action. The organization is hosting an online event, from 8-10 p.m., where attendees will find a "safe, fun space to talk about predictions, wins and losses." Advanced registration required.
Morgan Witt
(Morgan Witt for District 7/Facebook)
Morgan Witt, who is running against incumbent Leslie Pool to represent District 7 on Austin City Council, is hosting a virtual watch party from 8-11 p.m. In addition to providing election result updates and campaign highlights, the event will also include a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. More information can be found here.
Williamson County Libertarian Party
The Williamson County Libertarian Party will host an in-person election watch party at Lupe Tortilla in Round Rock from 7-10 p.m. Jo Jorgensen, a psychology lecturer at Clemson University, is the party's presidential candidate. More information can be found here.
The Austin area remains at a Stage 3 COVID risk, according to Austin Public Health's risk-based guidelines. At this level, local health authorities recommend residents avoid social gathering of more than 10 people.
- Voters, voting rights groups sue Gov. Greg Abbott over order to close ... ›
- Election protests could test new Austin police policies - austonia ›
- Austonia's 2020 voter guide: polling places, interesting races ... ›
- Early voting results: Austin City Council - austonia ›
Popular
(Austonia)
May's second election is here, in which voters will decide on the candidates to represent their party in the November general election after the winner in some March primary races was unclear.
Just like the March primaries, voters will choose which party they choose to vote in. Then based on location, each ballot will show which races are in a runoff.
In Texas, candidates must win at least 50% of the vote to be elected. In the races where the top candidate only received a plurality of votes, a runoff is being held.
Here's everything you need to know before heading to the polls.
Know before you go
Early voting for the Texas primary runoff election begins Monday and will last through May 20; Election Day is May 24.
The registration period for this election has passed; check if you're registered to vote here.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. As long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you can vote.
You'll need a valid photo ID to present once you're at a polling location.
Here are the early voting locations in Travis County.
View wait times at polling locations here.
Races to watch in Travis County:
Statewide
Lieutenant Governor
- Republican: Incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick won his primary in March.
- Democratic: Mike Collier and Michelle Beckley are vying to be the Democrat candidate on the ballot.
- Republican: Incumbent AG Ken Paxton is fighting for his seat against George P. Bush.
- Democratic: Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski will face off to be the Democratic candidate in this race.
View all the statewide races on the ballot here.
U.S. House of Representatives
View the district you live in here.
District 21
- Republican: Incumbent Chip Roy won his primary in March.
- Democratic: Claudia Andreana Zapata and Ricardo Villarreal are hoping to secure this vote.
- Republican: Dan McQueen and Michael Rodriguez are going head to head to be the Republican candidate in this race.
- Democratic: Former Austin council member Greg Casar won this race in March.
District 19
- Republican: Ellen Troxclair and Justin Berry are vying to be the Republican candidate in this race.
- Democratic: Pam Baggett won her primary in March.
(Austin Emergency Management)
Hazmat suits, low-flying aircraft and more will be seen this week as Austin hosts an exercise to prepare for radiological incident.
The project, called Cobalt Magnet 22, involves more than 30 local, state and federal agencies planning for 18 months to be prepared in the event of radiological threats. It will start Monday and last through May 20.
What to expect: Field teams in protective clothing using radiological monitoring and detection equipment, low-flying aircraft conducting data-gathering overflights, and groups of first responders and others staged at various locations.
The exercise is part of a regular program of training, exercises and planning.
“Th City of Austin is pleased to welcome NNSA and the numerous local, state and federal agencies participating in Cobalt Magnet”, said Juan Ortiz, Director of Austin's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office. “Our goal in this exercise is to test our procedures and make improvements to ensure we’re keeping the Austin/Travis County community protected.”