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Early Voting

What to look for on your ballot as early voting starts next week

Early voting starts Monday for the Nov. 4 election, and the discussion in Austin is centered around Proposition Q, a proposed tax rate increase. The city of Austin wants to use those dollars for more services in the city, but not everyone is convinced. KUT City Hall reporter Luz Moreno-Lozano explains.

Texans’ ballots will also include 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution. The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey talk us through a few of them.

Plus: How George Strait got his start in San Marcos.

KUT Morning Newscast for October 16, 2025: The City of Austin has a new initiative to create healthy and safe environments for kids

Central Texas top stories for October 16, 2025. The City of Austin is launching a new initiative aimed at creating healthy and safe environments for kids. Hays County will no longer be using license plate readers from security company Flock Safety. During this fall’s election Texans will be deciding on 17 amendments to the state’s constitution. A wildfire continues burning in Burnet County between Inks Lake State Park and Burnet. AISD is holding its second virtual meeting tonight to hear feedback on the school consolidation plan.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for April 29, 2025: UT Austin officials are being accused of using chat apps to hide internal communications.

Central Texas top stories for April 29, 2025. Today is the last day of Early Voting ahead of the May 3rd local elections. Officials at UT Austin are accused of using chat apps to hide internal communications in violation of state law. Local officials are urging the public to prepare for wildfires ahead of another hot and dry summer. The Texas baseball team has just 5 home games remaining this regular season. Willie Nelson is 92 years old today.

KUT Morning Newscast for April 28, 2025: Updates on a second measles case in Travis County are expected today.

Central Texas top stories for April 28, 2025. Austin Public Health will give an update today on a second case of measles in Travis County. Tomorrow’s the last day of Early Voting in the May third election. A bill in the Texas legislature would attempt to introduce penalties for prescribers and manufacturers of abortion pills, even if they operate from a state where abortion is legal. A bill recently passed by the Texas House aims to protect homeowners who choose to conserve water during periods of drought. Twelve Texas Longhorns had their names called during this year’s NFL’s draft.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for April 22, 2025: A bacteria which can be toxic to animals and humans was found near Red Bud Isle

Central Texas top stories for April 22, 2025. Voters across Travis, Williamson and Hays counties can cast their ballots ahead of the May 3rd election.Scientists have spotted clumps of blue green organisms near Red Bud Island on Lady Bird Lake. Travis County leaders are hoping to revamp the former Austin State Hospital site. The Austin Animal Center will offer only limited services tomorrow as its staff transitions its data to a new management system. We have a chance of thunderstorms today and tonight in the Austin area.

KUT Morning Newscast for April 21, 2025: Round Rock ISD is reporting a budget surplus for the next school year. 

Central Texas top stories for April 21, 2025. Early Voting for the May election starts tomorrow, here’s what’s on the ballot. Officials with the Round Rock Independent School District are now reporting a budget surplus for next school year. The Trump administration is withholding funds from recipients of a federal program that provides uninsured people with family planning and preventive reproductive health services. Texas lawmakers are considering a bill this week that could create new state-backed district attorneys in the areas around the state’s biggest cities. The City of Austin wants to hear from the LGBTQIA+ community on their interactions with APD. It’s the last week of the Austin Municipal Court and the Downtown Austin Community Court’s Warrant Amnesty program.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for December 11, 2024

Central Texas top stories for December 11, 2024. The ballots are in from Early Voting in the runoff election for last month’s undecided races. The City of Austin is reworking the Live Music Fund. Bruce Elfant is retiring from his post as Travis County’s Voter Registrar and Tax Assessor-Collector. Austin’s airport is operating with about half as many air traffic controllers as it should. Texas State University’s class of 2020 will finally have an in-person commencement. A bankruptcy judge rejected The Onion’s auction bid to buy Infowars.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for December 10, 2024

Central Texas top stories for December 10, 2024. Today is the last day of Early Voting in runoff elections. The first freeze of the season is on the way tomorrow morning. Austin activated its cold weather shelters for tonight. A Freeze Warning is in effect from midnight until eight tomorrow morning across Central Texas. Williamson County has hired its first county manager. A federal judge has blocked a rule from the Biden administration that would have given DACA recipients access to the Affordable Care Act. Travis County’s ban on outdoor burning is being allowed to expire as scheduled at midnight.

KUT Morning Newscast for December 10, 2024

Central Texas top stories for December 10, 2024. Today is the last day of early voting in the local runoff elections. Texas is struggling to get people out of jails and into mental health treatment. Eanes ISD is considering combining two elementary schools to save money. San Marcos are looking to combine the city’s bus routes with those serving Texas State University. Cold shelters in Austin will open today. 

KUT Afternoon Newscast for December 09, 2024

Central Texas top stories for December 9, 2024. Tomorrow is the last day of Early Voting in the runoff elections yet to be decided. The Texas maternal mortality and morbidity review committee will not release a report from the initial years after Texas’ near-total abortion ban. Round Rock ISD is considering limiting who can challenge book titles in the district’s libraries. Texas will host the Clemson Tigers in the first round of this year’s expanded College Football Playoff. Despite lower home prices, homes in Austin are taking longer to sell. We’re getting some weather whiplash this week in the Austin area.

KUT Morning Newscast for December 9, 2024

Central Texas top stories for December 09, 2024. Tomorrow is the last day of early voting for the December 14th runoff election. AISD is asking the public for feedback on its plan to eliminate its 92-million-dollar budget deficit over the next three years. The City of Austin is considering a new rule that would require certain businesses to display information about mental health and firearm safety. Austin City Council will vote on a plan to generate electricity in Austin into the future. The Longhorns came up short in the SEC game on Saturday, but they’re fifth seed in this year’s expanded College Football Playoff. An asteroid has been named after a UT professor. 

KUT Morning Newscast for December 2, 2024

Central Texas top stories for December 2, 2024. Early voting for runoff elections in Travis County starts today. President-elect Donald Trump’s plans on how to address homelessness might affect Austin’s long-term plans to get people to housing. The only clinic in Texas that exclusively serves uninsured children needs to find a new place. Here’s how to watch out for seasonal scams. The Longhorns will play to win the SEC championship. UT- Austin will host first and second rounds of the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship. 

KUT Afternoon Newscast for November 5, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 5, 2024. Close to half of registered voters in the Austin area did not cast their ballot during Early Voting. Manor ISD rolled out new security protocols to help students and staff feel safe while at school. Election results and analysis tonight on KUT.

KUT Afternoon Newscast for November 4, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 4, 2024. Early Voting turnout. What to do if you encounter hiccups at the ballot box. High turnout in Williamson County during Early Voting. Austin ISD voters are deciding whether to approve a tax rate increase that would generate millions of dollars in new revenue for the district. Crews have been making progress containing a wildfire in Bastrop County.

Why Texans can’t put abortion – or other citizen-led initiatives – on the ballot

We’ll have the latest details the 400-acre Hudson Fire in Bastrop County, which has prompted the voluntary evacuation of about 65 homes.
On this day before elections, what we’re hearing about early turnout numbers.
Twenty-six states, including California, have citizen-led ballot initiatives – but Texas doesn’t. The Standard’s Sarah Asch brings us the history of a political tug-of-war.
Also: What comes next for death row inmate Robert Roberson and how his case may be affecting attitudes in Texas toward the death penalty.

KUT Morning Newscast for November 4, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 4, 2024. Crews continue working to contain a wildfire in Bastrop County. Election Day is tomorrow, millions of Texans cast their ballots during early voting. In Travis County, about half of registered voters cast their ballots during early voting. Conflicts over LGBTQ student rights, lessons about race and book bans are costing public schools a lot of money. Georgetown is finding ways to increase the city’s water supply. Trains in San Marcos are sounding their horns again.  

KUT Afternoon Newscast for November 1, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 1, 2024. Today is the last day of Early Voting. The Travis County Republican Party sued the county this week, saying it’s not meeting bipartisan staffing rules at polling sites. We’re finally getting a change in the weather after a record setting October. A federal judge has denied a college student’s request to block UT Austin from enforcing his suspension. A new permanent supportive housing community opened in Austin today for people experiencing chronic homelessness. The SIMS Foundation is no longer accepting new clients and began dropping existing patients. Austin Water rates are higher, effective today.

KUT Morning Newscast for November 1, 2024

Central Texas top stories for November 1, 2024. Today is the last day of early voting. Low-income residents can apply for help paying their rent from the City of Austin. A federal judge says pro-Palestinian student groups have a right to sue top officials at three public universities in Texas. School is out in many Central Texas school districts today.

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