Travis County judge backs Austin in lawsuit over petition targeting convention center redevelopment vote

Ruling narrows prospects for a May 2026 ballot measure on Austin’s convention center project

A Travis County district judge has sided with the City of Austin in a lawsuit brought by Austin United PAC over a citizen petition that sought to force a public vote on the city’s ongoing $1.6 billion Austin Convention Center redevelopment.

The case centered on whether the petition met the threshold needed to advance a proposed city charter amendment to the City Council and, ultimately, to the May 2026 ballot. The City Clerk’s office previously issued a certificate concluding the petition did not contain enough valid signatures, relying on a statistical sampling method applied to the signatures submitted.

How the dispute reached court

Austin United PAC delivered more than 25,000 signatures to the City Clerk in October 2025, aiming to place a measure before voters that would pause the redevelopment unless voters approved proceeding. In November 2025, the City Clerk’s office determined the petition was insufficient, estimating it fell 494 valid signatures short of the 20,000 required for the measure to move forward.

The PAC sued in December 2025, asking the court to overturn the clerk’s determination and to compel disclosure of records describing how the sampling process was conducted. The case moved quickly as election deadlines approached.

Key arguments from both sides

• Austin United PAC argued that qualified voters’ signatures were improperly rejected, and that the city’s methodology for reviewing and projecting validity from a sample was flawed. The group also raised questions about whether some signers living in certain limited-purpose areas should be counted.

• The City of Austin argued that the clerk followed established procedures and performed a ministerial function consistent with city practice, and urged the court to dismiss the case. City attorneys also argued the petition effort came after demolition of the former facility and after the project had moved into construction.

What the ruling means for the May 2026 ballot

The decision effectively leaves in place the clerk’s determination that the petition did not qualify, limiting the PAC’s path to placing the measure on the May 2026 ballot. The calendar has been central to the litigation: city election preparations and statutory deadlines required any measure to reach the Austin City Council in time for action ahead of the May election.

Convention center project status and funding dispute

The redevelopment plan—branded by the convention center department as “Unconventional ATX”—follows demolition of the previous downtown convention center facility and is expected to be completed in spring 2029. City leaders have described the project as a long-term tourism and economic development initiative financed through hotel occupancy tax revenue, which is restricted under state law to specified tourism-related purposes.

Opponents, including Austin United PAC, have argued that the same tourism-related revenue should be redirected toward other cultural and visitor-draw investments and have challenged the city’s approach to transparency and process in the petition review.

The lawsuit focused on whether the petition met the 20,000-signature requirement and whether the City Clerk’s review methodology was lawfully applied.