There is plenty at stake in this year’s midterm elections. And while it’s easy to remain fixated on some of the major offices that could flip blue, Austinites must also keep a close eye on the five City Council seats that are up for the taking this fall. With the Aug. 17 filing deadline closed, the community will soon decide who they prefer to represent districts 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9.
District 1
District 1 has been represented by Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison since she was elected in 2018. But that will change this year, as six new faces compete to serve constituents of the district that stretches from I-35 to the city’s eastern limits. During her time as a Council member, Harper-Madison has faced public scrutiny for missing substantially more Council meetings than her colleagues, violating fundraising laws, and being accused of multiple ethics violations brought forward by constituents of the district.
Austinites will choose from a swollen field of candidates: Alexandria Anderson, owner of a local personal training company who has worked with multiple community associations and served on city commissions; Steven Brown, a lifetime East Austin resident who has experience working in healthcare and previously served as a board member for PAC Save Austin Now; Amber K. Goodwin, an assistant district attorney in Travis County who has a long history of organizing and advocating for public safety, healthcare access, and fair labor laws; Michael Nahas, a current board member on the city’s Economic Prosperity Commission with a background in computer science and economics; Misael Ramos, a longtime proponent of affordable housing, union member, social justice activist, and current president of the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross Neighborhood Association; and Portia Riggins, an East Austin native who currently studies finance and accounting at Austin Community College.
District 3
Council Member José Velásquez is running to retain his District 3 seat that represents a portion of East and South Austin near the Downtown area. Gentrification of the district has remained a large concern of its constituents during Velásquez’s tenure, which he has worked to address. In 2023, Velásquez was reprimanded for violating city code when he failed to report that he was a director on the East Austin Conservancy board in 2021 and 2022 or list the nonprofit as a source of income on his 2021 or 2022 financial statements.
The incumbent will face off against four challengers: Gavino Fernandez Jr., a lifelong East Austin resident and civil rights activist who recently lost the Democratic primary for the Travis County Commissioners Court Precinct 4 seat; Eduardo “Lalito” Romero, a tech analyst who competed in the 2024 District 4 race; Neha Shah, a product manager at Expedia who previously founded a tech startup and published a children’s book series after immigrating to Austin as a child; and Brock Skinner, a business development manager at an emergency communications company with a background in sales and marketing.
District 5
Council Member Ryan Alter may be in the most vulnerable position among all of the incumbents as he seeks to continue representing his South Austin constituents. He most recently caught heat last year, among other Council members, for how he was spending city money, as a Statesman investigation revealed that he had routinely expensed solo meals at a total cost of $1,200 and used $2,500 of city money to secure a lifetime membership to the Texas Bar Foundation. (Alter told the Chronicle he has since reimbursed the city for those expenses.) He later voted against a proposed rule change that would have capped the amount of unused Council office funds available to roll over to the next fiscal year at $50,000.
Among Alter’s three challengers are Farrah Abraham, who previously appeared in MTV’s 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom and has since been seen in other reality television shows; Liz Brink, a union electrician and first-time candidate for public office; and David Weinberg, who previously worked with organizations focused on environmental protections, has advocated for Texan voting rights, served as chief of staff for New York state Rep. Linda B. Rosenthal, and owns a political consulting firm.
District 8
District 8 has been represented by Council Member Paige Ellis since she was elected in 2018. City policy only allows Council members to serve two consecutive four-year terms, except in special cases where the candidate collects petition signatures from at least 5% of voters within the respective district. According to Austin Communications and Engagement, Ellis submitted her petition signatures to the city clerk on deadline day. If the adequate number of signatures are verified, she will be eligible for a third term and placed on November’s ballot.
Ellis only has two challengers in this year’s race: Jeffery Bowen, a retired U.S. Air Force vet who previously served as an educator at NCO Academy at Bergstrom AFB and now serves as the chair of the city’s Board of Adjustment and as the president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council; and Selena Xie, an Austin-Travis County EMS commander and ICU nurse who previously served as president of the Austin EMS Association and has a background in political science and economics.
District 9
Council Member Zo Qadri is running to maintain his seat representing District 9, which houses the city’s Downtown area. During his tenure on the Council, Qadri has been outspoken against the Austin Police Department’s cooperation with ICE, has expanded homeless outreach and mental health services, and has invested in the city’s entertainment scene.
Qadri is up against four competitors for the seat: Rich Heyman, a former UT educator who previously served on the city’s Land Development Code Advisory Group and has been involved in multiple neighborhood associations and public advocacy organizing; Kai Huang, a first-time candidate with background in business and economics; Katie Kam, a UT graduate and founder of a local civil engineering firm and a cultured meat startup who previously worked as an Austin city planner and an AISD teacher; and Dave Thadani, a UT student studying computer science and first-time candidate for public office.
The deadline to register to vote in the November 2026 elections is Oct. 5. Residents can register on votetexas.gov
This article appears in August 21 • 2026.
