AUSTIN, Texas — Many long-time Austin residents know which city council district they live in, but those only just digging into local politics may not.
It's always important to be aware of your community, but with five Austin City Council seats on the Nov. 5 ballot, now is a great time to make sure you know who represents you.
Below is a map of the council districts, created by the city of Austin. The yellow-brown district at the top is District 6, followed clockwise by the green District 7, blue District 1, coral pink District 3, yellow-green District 2, pale blue District 5, light green District 8 and light pink District 10. District 4 is the purple-pink district between districts 7 and 1, and District 9 is the yellow district in the middle.
The City also has an interactive version of the map where you can look up your address to see which district you live in.
Let's break down where each district is located in Austin and whether your district is on the ballot this fall.
Districts that are not on the ballot this year
- District 1: covers primarily northeast Austin; represented by Natasha Harper-Madison
- District 3: covers Central-East and East Austin; represented by José Velásquez
- District 5: covers primarily South Austin and part of Central Austin; represented by Ryan Alter
- District 8: covers southwest Austin; represented by Paige Ellis
- District 9: covers Central Austin; represented by Zohaib "Zo" Qadri
Districts that are on the ballot this year
District 2
District 2 covers most of southeast Austin and is represented by Vanessa Fuentes, who has served since 2021 and is running for reelection. Fuentes has lived in District 2 for six years, according to her paperwork.
Fuentes is being challenged by instructor Robert Reynolds. According to his paperwork, he has lived in District 2 for 19 years.
District 4
District 4 covers primarily parts of North and Central Austin and is represented by José “Chito” Vela, who has served since he was elected in 2022 and is running for reelection. Vela has lived in District 4 for more than 18 years, according to his paperwork.
Four people are challenging Vela. Monica Guzmán – the policy director for GAVA (Go! Austin/Vamos! Austin) – is a native Austinite who has lived in District 4 for about 10 and a half years.
Meanwhile, Louis Herrin, an environmental engineer with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, has lived in District 4 for 34 years.
Jim Rabuck, a federal employee, has lived in the district for a little over three years.
And Eduardo "Lalito" Romero, who works at a local university, has lived in the district for about three and a half years.
District 6
District 6 covers northwest Austin and is represented by Mackenzie Kelly, who has served since she was elected in 2020 and is running for reelection. Kelly has lived in District 6 all her life, according to her paperwork.
She is being challenged by Krista Laine, a commercial real estate appraiser turned president of Access Education RRISD who has lived in District 6 for a decade.
District 7
District 7 covers primarily northwest and North Austin. Current Councilmember Leslie Pool is term limited, and seven people are running to take her seat.
According to his paperwork, Edwin Bautista – a planner for GrantWorks – has lived in District 7 for a little more than two years. He has lived in Austin since he moved to the city in 2016.
Gary L. Bledsoe, an attorney and president of the Texas NAACP, has lived in District 7 for almost 41 years.
Daniel "Dan" Dominguez, who lists his occupation as "retired" on his paperwork, has lived in District 7 for 40 of the 45 years he's lived in Texas.
Pierre Huy Nguyễn, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard who has served in multiple roles for American YouthWorks, has lived in District 7 for about three and a half years.
Adam Powell, who lists his occupation as "not employed" on his paperwork, has lived in District 7 for a little more than five years but describes himself as "born and raised in the North Austin area," primarily in Leander.
Todd Shaw – the assistant director of Project Management Services at the University of Texas – has lived in District 7 for 32 years and in Austin for more than 40.
And Mike Siegel, a civil rights attorney and community organizer, has lived in District 7 the entire time he's lived in Texas, a little more than 11 years.
District 10
District 10 covers West Austin. Current Councilmember Alison Alter is term limited, and two people are running to take her seat.
According to his paperwork, Marc Duchen – a consultant – has lived in District 10 for a little over 23 years, which is most of the time that he has lived in Austin.
Meanwhile, lifelong Austinite Ashika Ganguly – the legislative director for State Rep. John Bucy III – has lived in the district for seven years.