Austin City Council 2026 Ballot Propositions

Proposition C

Against

Changes to the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Rules

BALLOT LANGUAGE

Shall the City Charter be amended to clarify that the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) is independent of City Council control, allow the ICRC to review City districts after changes to the City's boundary lines, create voter registration and residency duration exceptions for student members, provide an effective date for the redistricting plan adopted by the ICRC, increase the number of individuals in the pool of potential appointees to the ICRC, clarify the method and timing of filling vacancies on the ICRC, and allow City staff to communicate with the ICRC outside of a meeting as long as such communication in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act?

WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT

The amendments make clear that City Council does not control the commission, allows district maps to be updated when city boundaries change, and gives the commission a larger pool of applicants to choose from.

VOTE AGAINST IT BECAUSE

The amendment removes the rule that limits who can talk with the commission outside public hearings. This could let political parties, unions, nonprofits, and other groups contact commission members and try to influence their decisions.

WHAT THE AMENDMENT REMOVES

ARTICLE II. THE COUNCIL.

§ 3. REDISTRICTING

(K) The activities of the commission are subject to all of the following:

(1) the commission shall comply with all state and city requirements for open meetings.

(2) the records of the commission and all data considered by the commission are public records that will be made available in a manner that ensures immediate and widespread public access.

[(3) commission members and commission staff may not communicate with or receive communications about redistricting matters from anyone outside of a public hearing. This paragraph does not prohibit communication between commission members, commission staff (which shall exclude staff of any council members), legal counsel, and consultants retained by the commission that is otherwise permitted by state and city open meeting requirements.]

Important note: the excerpt above is not the full text of the charter section, nor the full set of amendments being proposed.

Sources:

City Ordinance No 20260806-004 contains City Charter amendments and can be downloaded from the August 6, 2026, meeting agenda: https://www.austintexas.gov/council/2026/20260806-reg#004
Current City Charter ARTICLE II. - THE COUNCIL. § 3. - REDISTRICTING: https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH_ARTIITHCO_S3RE

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