AUSTIN (KXAN) — Even though the unofficial results of the Austin mayoral race have been fully tabulated, KXAN is unable to predict the outcome nearly one week later. This is because there are still outstanding ballots that could potentially push Incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson, who currently has 50.01% of the vote, into a runoff with second-place Carmen Llanes Pulido. The outstanding ballots include late mail-in ballots, provisional ballots, and overseas and military mail-in ballots. Watson needs more than 50% of the vote to win outright.
You might be wondering when the final ballots will be counted. According to the Texas Secretary of State election law calendar, the results must be posted no later than Nov. 19. KXAN contacted the Travis County and Williamson County clerk’s offices to inquire about their plans for canvassing and finalizing results. Hays County, which also has some Austin voters, is expected to have a much lower impact on the final outcome.
The Travis County Clerk’s Office provided the following dates to KXAN:
– The deadline to receive overseas military mail ballots statewide is Nov. 12
– Travis County expects to conduct its canvass on Nov. 13-14
– Results for Travis County could be posted shortly after the completion of the canvass
The Williamson County Clerk’s Office shared the following dates with KXAN:
– An official canvass has not been scheduled yet, but it is expected to be around Nov. 15
– The results will then be presented to the Commissioners Court for a public announcement
A canvass is a post-election process that ensures all valid ballots are accurately counted and included in the final election results. It involves reviewing provisional ballots, resolving ballot marking errors, adjudicating voter intent, and reconciling the number of ballots cast with the number of voters, as explained by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Regarding the number of outstanding ballots, there are approximately 3,200 provisional ballots that still need to be reviewed in Travis County. Additionally, there are thousands of mail ballots that were sent out but had not been returned by last week’s check with the clerk’s office. It remains uncertain how many of these ballots will be returned before the deadlines. While late-arriving ballots are possible in Williamson and Hays County, their impact is expected to be minimal compared to Travis County.
KXAN digital data reporter Christopher Adams provided valuable contributions to this report, shedding light on the ongoing election process.
