Austinites for Progressive Reform

Austinites for Progressive Reform is a broad coalition of Austinites coming together to work for amendments to our city charter to make local government more representative, diverse, responsive, and accountable.

Our campaign’s goal is to move democracy forward in Austin by enacting proven campaign finance reforms, election reforms, and governance reforms at the municipal level.

Our reforms to the city charter focus on:

• Austin’s campaign finance system, in which 68% of all contributions to city council campaigns come from just three council districts;

• Austin’s low-turnout runoff elections, in which fewer than 1 in 5 Austinites have the final say on who wins elective office;

• Austin’s mayoral election calendar, through which a comparatively smaller, whiter, wealthier, and older midterm-year electorate selects the city’s highest elected official; and

• Austin’s form of government, in which an unelected city manager — with no direct accountability to voters — administers the city’s executive branch, including the police department, the transportation department, the planning department, and the budget process.

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