When runner-up Carmen Llanes Pulido, who lost to incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson, demanded a ballot recount last Thursday, the Austin mayoral campaign took a controversial turn. According to FOX 7 Austin, Llanes Pulido filed her request when official results showed that she was only 12 or 13 votes behind Watson, citing a “razor-thin” margin and the state of the local democracy.
But according to Texas law, the request was turned down despite the close finish that almost led to a runoff. The validity of the election process is at risk, not just a title. The city announced Watson as the winner on Tuesday, claiming that the difference of 12 or 13 votes was preventing a rerun election. Watson received a total of 175,096 votes, compared to Llanes Pulido’s 70,540. Specifically, the precincts in Travis and Williamson Counties were the focus of Llanes Pulido’s recount request.
In a forceful response to the petition, the city of Austin declared it to be “defective.” Regarding his opponent’s behavior, Mayor Watson said, “Anybody has a right to ask for a recount if that’s what they want to do, but when the votes are in, the votes are in.” According to his statement, which FOX 7 Austin was able to get, he also denounced the recount attempt as being unduly expensive and possibly disruptive. With just 13 votes more than the required majority, Watson’s victory puts him in the running for a fourth term at City Hall.
Llanes Pulido is contemplating more legal action and has not taken the choice lightly. “We’ll seek legal counsel to determine whether we are going to appeal this decision or resubmit under basically the requirements of the city has set, which is a full recount for the whole city,” Llanes Pulido told FOX 7 Austin. According to her remarks to KUT, she has until Monday to decide whether to file an appeal or resubmit, and her request for a recount has raised concerns about the correct counting of votes after Travis County discovered that 75 provisional ballots had been inadvertently left unprocessed, adding 13 votes to the total number of votes in the mayoral race.
By taking these steps, Llanes Pulido hopes to satisfy the community she represents by confirming the election’s outcome rather than overturning it. Her campaign was characterized by her devotion to problems like public transportation, affordability, and climate change; now, this same passion serves as the foundation for her criticism of the election process. Llanes Pulido said KUT, “I am going to respect the results of the election,” highlighting the importance of cooperation and solidarity despite political setbacks.
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