Austin City Council District 8 Contest: An Analysis
Under the 10-1 election system, which was established through a charter amendment in 2012, the mayor is elected at-large, and ten council members are elected in single-member districts. The first election under the new system drew seven candidates for mayor and 70 candidates for the ten council seats. In District 8, which includes most of southwest Austin, five candidates—Becky Bray, Darrell Pierce, Eliza May, Ed Scruggs, and Ellen Troxclair—competed in the November general election. With five candidates, the likelihood that any candidate would receive a majority of the vote and win the seat was remote. Indeed, the general election resulted in the candidate who received the greatest percentage of the vote—Ellen Troxclair—garnering only 27 percent of the vote. The next highest vote total belonged to Ed Scruggs, who received 26 percent of the vote. Only 179 votes separated the two candidates. With no candidate winning a majority, Troxclair and Scruggs moved on to compete in the Dece...