Elections

General Information

Pursuant to City Charter Article III, Section 8, the following contribution limits became effective upon the date of city council’s most recent adoption of the City budget:  No candidate for Mayor or City Council and his or her campaign committee shall accept campaign contributions in excess of $450 per contributor per election from any person, except for the candidate and small-donor political committees. Additionally, the aggregate contribution limit from donors outside of Austin is modified to $46,000 per election, and $30,000 per runoff election. Note, the contribution limits may change once the budget is adopted in August 2024.

Per the recent federal court Judgment,  the City will not initiate or recommend an enforcement action against any candidate who accepts campaign contributions outside of a 12-month campaign fundraising period assuming all other requirements found in State election laws and the City’s Charter are met.

Filing Period for a Place on the Ballot

Texas Election Code, Section 143.007(a) states that an application for a place on the ballot may not be filed earlier than the 30th day before the date of the filing deadline. Texas Election Code, Section 143.007(c) states that for an election to be held on a uniform election date, the filing deadline is the 78th day before Election Day.

Election Day is November 5, 2024; the 78th day before that election date is August 19, 2024.  Therefore, the first day for filing is the 30th day preceding August 19, 2024, that being Saturday, July 20, 2024.  Since the Clerk’s office is closed on non-business days, the first day to file an application in person is Monday, July 22, 2024.

** Regular business hours for the Office of the City Clerk are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The filing location is the Office of the City Clerk, 301 W. Second St., Suite 2030, Austin, Texas 78701; fax number (512) 974-2374; email address is elections@austintexas.gov.

The last day a candidate may file is Monday, August 19, 2024, at 5 p.m.

In order to be a candidate a person must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen;
• Have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six months immediately preceding the following date: (B)  for an independent candidate, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
• Be registered to vote in the City by the filing deadline;
• Be no less than 18 years of age on the term start date (1/6/2025);
• Not have been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote;
• Not have been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities; and
• Timely submit a completed application for a place on the ballot along with the filing fee or a petition in lieu of the filing fee.

Campaign Finance Reports

The City Clerk's Office is responsible for receiving and providing access to Campaign Finance Reports and data filed by local candidates, officeholders, and political action committees as required by the Texas Ethics Commission and the Austin City Code, including filing requirements, forms and templates, and a complete list of finance reports.

Campaign Treasurer Appointments

The Texas Election code requires Campaign Treasurer Appointments (CTAs) for candidates; specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing measure; and specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing candidates for City of Austin to be filed with the Office of the City Clerk.  The Clerk is responsible for providing access to Campaign Treasurer Appointments filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

Election History

The Clerk's Office maintains a history of candidates and voting statistics for City elections from 1840 to the present. 

Petitions

Citizens may submit Initiative, Referendum, Recall, or Charter Amendment Petitions. The Clerk's Office is responsible for validating these petitions and petitions filed by candidates as part of their application for a place on the ballot. Please see the Petitions page for more information.