Sheri Gallo and Alison Alter will face each other in a runoff election Dec. 13 to see who will take the District 10 position on Austin City Council, according to a final vote count from the Travis County Clerk's office.
Gallo received 48 percent of the vote, unofficial results show, while Alter garnered 36 percent.
Neither candidate had enough votes to win outright on election night. Election rules require a candidate to receive more than half of all votes cast in a race to be declared the winner.
Candidates Rob Walker and Nick Virden will not advance to the runoff vote.
Walker received 14 percent of the 36,314 ballots cast in District 10. Virden received 2 percent.
After a long night of watching election returns, both Gallo and Alter said they were ready to prepare for the runoff election.
"We have a strong and commanding position in this field, and tomorrow we begin working twice as hard to win this runoff election on December 13," Gallo said in a statement released by her campaign. "I wish to personally thank our volunteers, supporters, and the voters. I will continue standing against tax and utility fee increases, fighting for a full 20 percent Homestead Exemption, and remaining laser-focused on affordability and transportation, while also working to protect our communities and improve our quality of life."
Alter posted a statement on her campaign's Facebook page:
Gallo, Alter may be headed for a runoff in Austin's District 10
Posted 10:47 p.m.
Sheri Gallo is maintaining a lead over three challengers vying for her Austin City Council District 10 seat, but with 48.37 percent of ballots counted so far, the incumbent is yet to gain enough of the vote to avoid a runoff election, according to the latest results.
Alison Alter trails Gallo with 35.57 percent of the ballots counted so far.
Rob Walker is in third place with 13.99 percent. Nick Virden has received 2.07 percent of the vote, as of 10:23 p.m.
If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two will move on to a runoff election on Dec. 13.
Incumbent Sheri Gallo leads in early voting for Austin's District 10 seat
Updated 7:25 p.m.
Incumbent Sheri Gallo received 47.95 percent of early votes to take the lead in Austin City Council's District 10 race, according to the Travis County Clerk's office.
Alison Alter is in second place after receiving 36.78 percent of early ballots cast.
Rob Walker received 13.3 percent of early votes, and Nick Virden garnered 1.97 percent.
Nearly 40,000 early voting ballots were cast in the District 10 race—an early vote turnout of 60.24 percent, according to the clerk's office.
Crowded field could bring runoff election in Austin's District 10
Updated 3:10 p.m.
If none of the four candidates running for Austin City Council District 10 receives more than 50 percent of votes cast tonight, the top two will return to the ballot for a runoff election Dec. 13.
District 10 features incumbent Sheri Gallo facing three challengers: Alison Alter, Rob Walker and Nick Virden.
In 2014, races in eight of the 10 Austin City Council seats up for election were decided in runoffs. That year, a high number of candidates entered an election that saw Austin voters elect a geographically based council for the first time in the city's history. Austin's mayoral race was also decided in a runoff election in 2014.
Election rules require a candidate to garner more than half the vote to be declared the winner.
Here's where Austin City Council District 10 candidates will watch election results
Posted 12:28 p.m.
Several candidates running for Austin City Council District 10 will host election watch parties tonight.
- Sherri Gallo, the incumbent, will be at the Chinatown restaurant's bar area at 3406 Greystone Drive, Austin, once polls close at 7 p.m., according to Gallo's campaign manager Madison Powell.
- Alison Alter said she will host a watch party at Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina, 1206 W. 38th St., Austin. The event will start at 7 p.m.
- Rob Walker said he is hosting a small party for family and friends at his home.
- Nick Virden did not respond to an inquiry about his election night plans.
District 10 candidates have highlighted housing affordability, managing Austin’s growth and mobility as top issues.
