Incumbents Phillip Davis and Lauren White were re-elected to places 1 and 2 on the Lake Travis ISD board of trustees in the May 4 election by a narrow margin over challengers Craig Cancienne and Christy Comfort.
For Place 1, Davis led with 51.48% of the vote, or 4,325 votes, while Cancienne received 48.52% of the vote with 4,077 votes. For Place 2, White led with 51.84% of the vote, or 4,389 votes, over Comfort, who received 48.16% of the vote with 4,077 votes.
What they're saying
"I'm very thankful and grateful that the Lake Travis community decided to re-elect me this time around," Davis told Community Impact. "I'm excited that I got the win tonight, but quite honestly, I'm ready to get back to the difficult work and sometimes challenging work that we have ahead of us."
In his second term, Phillip said he plans to focus on the district's budget as it forecasts a significant shortfall and inform community members about the importance of advocating for increased school funding from the state. Davis also hopes to unite community members who have been divided in recent months, he said.
In her third term, White said she will focus on student success and safety, affordable housing for staff, and advocating for more funding at the Texas Legislature.
"I'm thrilled and honored the community's going to give me the privilege to serve again for another three years," White said. "I think our community really cares deeply about public education, and I'm so grateful for everyone who was able to ... make that the focus of today."
What else?
With 55,991 ballots cast, 6.25% of registered voters in Travis County participated in the May 4 election, according to county data.
Posted 8:23 p.m. May 4
Early voting results from Travis County show incumbents Phillip Davis and Lauren White leading by a narrow margin against Craig Cancienne and Christy Comfort, respectively, for places 1 and 2 on the Lake Travis ISD board of trustees.
What you need to know
LTISD places 1 and 2 were on the ballot for district voters in the May 4 election.
For Place 1, Davis, an associate dean for faculty success and research at Texas State University, faced technology executive Cancienne. According to unofficial early voting results, Davis is narrowly leading with 51.46% of the vote, or 3,274 votes. Cancienne has recieved 3,088 votes, or 48.54%
Comfort, a former senior executive and substitute teacher, challenged incumbent and former teacher White for Place 2. White is leading with 51.70% of the vote, or 3,310 votes. Comfort has 3,092 votes, or 48.30%.
The context
This school year, the LTISD board has grappled with how to face a projected $6.68 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2024-25, and build its second high school in light of lower enrollment projections.
In November, voters passed a $143 million bond proposition to build athletic facilities for High School No. 2 after approving funding to build the school in a 2022 bond election.
The board has faced backlash from community members on whether to remove or keep challenged library books at district campuses, and received criticism on its food allergy policies as a former LTISD parent is suing the district for $1.5 million over its response to her son’s bullying.
Cancienne and Comfort were endorsed by political action committee Lake Travis Families PAC. Incumbents Davis and White were endorsed by political action committee Lake Travis Voices for Progress.
What else?
Over 35,000 ballots were cast in Travis County during the early voting period from April 22-30, representing less than 4% of registered voters in the county. Early voting turnout was lower than May elections in the county in 2022 and 2023, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Voting totals from Election Day May 4 have not yet been released as polls were open until 7 p.m., or until those in line cast their vote.
What’s next?
This article will be updated as election day vote totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit Community Impact’s voter guide to find results for all local races.
