Newshounds Brant Bingamon, Sammie Seamon, and Kat McNevins get the scoop on fall’s civics calendar Credit: Lens of Athena Photography

Paws to the Polls: The Great Pet Election

Sept. 22, ACC Highland

The League of Women Voters Austin Area and Travis County Clerk’s Office work tirelessly to keep voters engaged and informed, and they’ve come up with a way to make it fun as well. After researching pet mayoral candidates Gus the gray cat and Franklin the Bernedoodle dog, cast a ballot to get practice on real voting machines borrowed from the county clerk. Plus, get information and resources for the real election Nov. 3 and enjoy sno-cones, snacks, and activities for kids and grownups. – Kat McNevins

The Texas Tribune Festival

Sept. 24-26, Downtown Austin

Gina Hinojosa, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Dolores Huerta, and Mike Miles may convene together in Austin under a singular pretense: TribFest. They’ll soon gather in Downtown Austin for the nonprofit newsroom’s annual conference – along with more than 250 other elected officials, journalists, authors, advocates, and policy wonks across the political universe – to discuss a wide range of current issues that likely affect you, me, and your neighbor. – Sammie Seamon

Election Day

Nov. 3, locations all around town

Isn’t it just the greatest – voting? Don’t you just want to vote in every single election? It’s what we do, us ’Mericans. We go to the school or library or community center, say hello to the volunteers behind the fold-out table, show our driver’s license, and vote all down the ballot, all the way to county constable. This year Texas has produced some fun people to vote for – Gina, James, that cool-ass Clayton Tucker. And there’s some interesting City Council races too, like Zo Qadri versus Rich Heyman and Selena Xie versus Jeff Bowen. See you at the polls, mf-ers!  (Psst: Last day to register to vote in the midterms is Monday, Oct. 5. Even if you’re certain you’re registered, check your status. The Texas Secretary of State’s office has placed 1.2 million Texas voters on a “suspense” list, and if you’re one of them, you’ll have to update your information by Oct. 5.)  – Brant Bingamon

Still looking for more things to do this fall? Check out our Events Calendar, updated daily. Want us to know about your own event? Submit it to our online crowdsourced calendar.

This article appears in September 4 • 2026.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Kat grew up in Dallas and got to Austin as soon as she could, attending UT and sticking around afterward like so many Austinites. She started at the Chronicle as a proofreader in 2015, and became an events listings editor in 2020, covering community events, film screenings, summer camps, sports, and more.

Brant Bingamon arrived in Austin in 1981 to attend UT and immediately became fascinated by the city's music scene. He's spent his adult life playing in bands and began writing for the Chronicle in 2019, covering criminal justice, the death penalty, and public school issues. He has two children, Noah and Eryl, and lives with his partner Adrienne on the Eastside.

Sammie Seamon is a news staff writer at the Chronicle covering education, climate, and other local stories. She was born and raised in Austin (and AISD), and loves this city like none other. She holds a master’s in literary reportage from the NYU Journalism Institute and has previously reported bilingually for Spanish-language readers.