Election Results: How Did the Bonds Do?
Update: AISD, Travis County bonds break 70% support
By Richard Whittaker, 6:30PM, Tue. Nov. 7, 2017
There's over $1 billion in bonds before Austin voters today, plus seven statewide constitutional amendments. With polls closing at 7pm tonight, we will be updating you through the evening on what passed locally and across the state.
For the full list of what's on the ballot locally, including the $1 billion Austin ISD bond, $185 million across two propositions for Travis County, and state constitutional amendments, read our election endorsements.
7:10 pm It will be early optimism at the watch parties for all three bonds tonight as early voting shows a massive swing for both AISD and Travis County.
With 25,799 votes cast by district residents, the AISD bond is currently passing by 68.1%.
Meanwhile, the Travis County bonds are doing even better. Proposition A ($93.44 million for roadway, drainage, bridge, bicycle, and pedestrian projects) is passing with 70.29% support out of 38,447 votes cast, while Proposition B ($91.49 million for parks and land conservation projects) is up with 69.57% of the 38,453 votes cast in favor.
Of course, this could all change when the election day results come in, but the anti-bond groups have a massive uphill struggle facing them.
8:04pm While everyone waits for the rest of those election day tallies to come in, a little context on those early voting numbers:
• AISD has not seen this kind of support since 2008, when three bond propositions passed by between 69% and 74%.
• In the last AISD bond election, back in 2013, the district had four propositions on the table: two passed, two failed, but every single result was within two percentage points or less.
• This is a massive victory for Travis County, whose best result in the last decade and a half was 66% support for a $62 million parks investment package in 2005. If early voting trends continue across the evening, then this bodes well for the county's new strategy of smaller, more regular bonds with well defined deliverables on a clear timeline.
9:32pm If early voting looked good for Travis County, then election day is an even bigger win.
With 31 of 150 voting locations reporting so far, Prop. A rose to 74.88% support on election day, while Prop. B steamed ahead to 76.39%. Of course, these numbers can still shift, but both are easily passing so far with 40 point margins.
It's similarly good news for AISD, with an uptick on election day to 72.81% support so far: if this trend keeps up, the district will also see a 40 point margin for its billion dollar package.
AISD Board President Kendall Pace called the result "great. People don't just like public schools, they love them."
11:28pm All the results are in and the numbers are final. By blow-out margins, the AISD and Travis County bonds, as well as an array of other smaller bonds in the county, have all passed.
Here are the final numbers:
• Travis County Prop. A: For – 68,917 (73.22%); Against – 25,202 (26.78%)
• Travis County Prop. B: For – 68,919 (73.17%); Against – 25,273 (26.83%)
• Austin ISD: For – 47,931 (72.06%); Against – 18,581 (27.94%)
• Eanes ISD: For – 5,221 (88.76%); Against – 661 (11.24%)
• Lago Vista ISD: For – 1,325 (64.81%); Against – 720 (35.19%)
• Lake Travis Prop. A: For – 4,319 (74.45%); Against – 1,482 (25.55%)
• Lake Travis Prop B: For – 4,066 (70.53%); Against – 1,699 (29.47%)
• Leander ISD: For – 2,685 (66.84%); Against – 1,332 (33.16%)
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Austin ISD, Travis County, Bonds, Election 2017