Countywide, 61,382 voters turned out for the November 4 election, approving all but one of the eight bond proposals. Below is an analysis of some of the voting, based on regions defined by life-long Austinite Peck Young, who served as a political consultant on the bond election campaign. Inside city limits, 43,953 voters went to the polls, although 1,700 of those who voted on the bonds abstained from the city charter amendment question on campaign finance reform. The measure won by a landslide — 72% to 28% — taking every precinct except one, 359 in the rural Southwest, where it went down 8 to 3.
Historic Voting | Votes in Favor | ||||
| REGION | CHARACTERISTICS: | TURNOUT | PROP.4 (TRAIL) | PROP.5 (SH130) | PROP.6 (SH45) |
| Central | Liberal | 7.1% | 64.6% | 50.7% | 40.9% |
| Near South | Liberal | 8.7% | 58.5% | 51.0% | 41.6% |
| North Central | Liberal | 12.3% | 44.8% | 62.6% | 54.0% |
| Far North | Swing | 11.4% | 38.6% | 68.2% | 59.5% |
| Far South | Swing | 11.12% | 39.6% | 67.2% | 63.0% |
| East/African Amer. | Swing | 5.6% | 49.1% | 63.5% | 58.9% |
| East/Hispanic | Swing | 5.5% | 52.1% | 58.9% | 50.9% |
| Northeast | Swing | 12.4% | 47.2% | 63.4% | 53.2% |
| West | Swing | 18.7% | 53.1% | 62.0% | 51.4% |
| Northwest | Conservative | 15.3% | 40.4% | 71.0% | 61.3% |
| Southwest | Conservative | 17.1% | 45.6% | 70.9% | 64.5% |
| Rural | Conservative | 14.5% | 36.9% | 72.9% | 68.3% |
| TOTALS: | | 11.9% | 43.4% | 66.8% | 59.7% |
This article appears in November 21 • 1997 and November 21 • 1997 (Cover).