Austin ISD is on track to seat at least four new trustees after unofficial early-voting results from Tuesday's election showed newcomers Jessica Neufeld, Sarah Dille and Laurie Solis leading their respective district races, while incumbent Candace Hunter held a solid lead in her bid for reelection. One contest, the citywide At-Large Position 9 seat, remained too close to call, with the early-vote leader well short of the majority needed to avoid a December runoff.
Neufeld pulled in 17,829 early votes, or 59.11%, in the District 4 race, putting her well ahead of Tricia Mitchell Kim, who had 8,398 votes (27.84%), and Edward Bradfield, who trailed with 3,936 votes (13.05%), according to Community Impact. In District 6, Dille led with 14,736 votes, or 60.45%, far outpacing Alex San Martin's 4,839 votes (19.85%) and Marie Lebron's 4,802 votes (19.70%). The outlet reported the figures come from Travis County's unofficial early-voting release, posted Tuesday evening, and do not include ballots cast on Election Day itself.
District 7 saw a similar early lead for Solis, who collected 16,777 votes, or 59.63%, compared with Jimmy Counihan's 11,357 votes, or 40.37%, per the same tally. Hunter, the only sitting trustee to seek reelection this cycle, led District 1 with 11,034 early votes, or 58.37%, against challenger Cheryl Bradley's 7,868 votes, or 41.63%.
At-Large Seat Still Up for Grabs
The closest race by far was At-Large Position 9, where Pamela Mathai collected 74,038 early votes, or 44.63%, and Cynthia Soliz followed with 70,245 votes, or 42.34%, while Kirk Becker trailed with 21,611 votes, or 13.03%. Because no candidate crossed the 50% threshold in early voting, the race could be forced into a December runoff between the top two finishers if that pattern holds once all votes are counted, the report notes. Austin ISD trustee candidates must receive more than 50% of the vote outright to win a seat; if the final tally confirms no majority winner, the top two vote-getters would advance to a runoff.
Election results remain unofficial until they are canvassed, and the outlet said it plans to update its reporting as more vote totals are released. Should a runoff be necessary, it would follow a calendar set statewide: the Texas Secretary of State has designated Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, as the date for local-subdivision runoffs stemming from the Nov. 3 election, with any political subdivision required to post runoff notice on its website no later than Friday, Nov. 27.
Every Race Contested for the First Time Since 2014
This year marked the first time since 2014 that every seat on the Austin ISD ballot was contested, with thirteen candidates vying for five of the board's nine seats across Districts 1, 4, 6 and 7 plus the at-large position, according to Community Impact. The crowded field was previously flagged by other outlets: KUT reported that thirteen candidates were running for the five trustee positions, and the Austin American-Statesman likewise counted 13 people vying for the seats in a late-September guide. As of mid-August, the Austin Chronicle had reported that Hunter was the only sitting trustee among the five up for election who had filed for reelection. Early voting for the election ran from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, according to Austin ISD.
Elections Unfold Amid Pressure Over Failing School Ratings
The trustee races played out against the backdrop of potential state intervention tied to two middle schools' academic performance. Burnet and Webb middle schools each received a fifth consecutive failing accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency in August, with Community Impact noting those ratings make Austin ISD subject to potential state action. The Texas Tribune reported in September that the ratings were preliminary and under appeal, describing the schools' fifth straight failing marks from the agency.
Under Texas law, repeated failing ratings of that kind trigger a requirement for the education commissioner to either close the affected campuses or replace the district's elected board, according to Community Impact's reporting. Amid that pressure, incumbent trustee Candace Hunter told KUT she had seen a positive trend over the past year for African American, emerging bilingual and economically disadvantaged students — a note on district performance even as the accountability questions around Burnet and Webb remain unresolved pending appeal.
