The Daily Texan put together a list to help inform the UT community on races of interest on the Travis County 2020 general election ballot. Early voting runs through Friday, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
Travis County District Attorney
The Travis County District Attorney serves four-year terms, after which the position is up for election. The district attorney decides whether to bring criminal charges in court and prosecute those charged.
Garza is the executive director of the Workers Defense Project. Garza previously served as a senior policy official to Secretary Tom Perez in the U.S. Department of Labor and Deputy General Counsel for the House Committee on Education Labor.
Major Platform Points:
- Support ending cash bail in Travis County, avoid prosecuting those who sell or possess a gram or less of narcotics and protecting immigrant communities. Prioritize survivors of sexual assault with services and create community task forces to hold the office accountable. Adopt an open file discovery policy to not withhold information to people accused of crimes.
Harry is a Texas attorney and previously served as an attorney for the Social Security Administration and a judge advocate for the U.S. Navy.
Major Platform Points:
- Prosecute individuals based on facts and evidence and communicate with victims from the beginning of each case. Avoid stacking charges as a strategy to compel a guilty plea from defendants. Respect the right to reasonable bail and use an objective pretrial assessment to measure risk of flight of defendant if released.
Travis County Sheriff
The Travis County Sheriff serves four-year terms. The sheriff's duties include serving warrants and papers, managing the county’s jail and enforcing traffic and criminal laws.
Sally Hernandez, Democrat — Incumbent
Hernandez was first elected in 2016. She had previously served as Travis County Constable of Precinct 3 and as chief of investigations in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
Major Platform Points:
-
Trained correctional officers and deputies to de-escalate mental health crises. Fought immigration policies to detain immigrants in jail and end arrests related to minor possession of marijuana charges. Created a Sexual Assault Unit and led a trained victims services staff.
Vargas is a special ranger in the Peace Officer Commission in the Texas Department of Public Safety and executive director of the Texas Police Association. He previously served in the Texas Department of Public Safety from 1986 to 2016.
Major Platform Points:
-
Enforce federal immigration laws and support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. Supports the Second Amendment and educating and providing training to armed citizens in the event of a threat. Stop violent crime within and outside the homeless community and enforce violations of the law.
Austin City Council
Austin City Council members serve four-year terms and are limited to a maximum of two terms. Their duties include managing the city’s budget and proposing and ratifying city laws and ordinances.
District 2:
District 4:
- Greg Casar – Incumbent
- Louis Herrin III
- Ramesses II Setepenre
District 6:
- Jimmy Flannigan – Incumbent
- Mackenzie Kelly
- Dee Harrison
- Jennifer Mushtaler
District 7:
- Leslie Pool – Incumbent
- Morgan Witt
District 10:
- Alison Alter – Incumbent
- Jennifer Virden
- Belinda Greene
- Noel Tristan
- Robert Thomas
- Ben Easton
- Pooja Sethi
