AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Residents in Austin City Council District 4 went to the polls Tuesday, electing Jose "Chito" Vela to fulfill the unexpired term of departing council member Greg Casar and besting a field of six other candidates vying for the seat.
According to final unofficial results from the Travis County Clerk's Office, Vela won Tuesday's election with just over 59% of the ballots cast. Monica Guzman came in a distant second with just over 13% of the vote.
Vela will serve the remainder of Casar's current term, which runs through the 2024 election cycle. Casar is resigning his seat in order to run for Congress in District 35.
3,613 ballots were cast in the election, which represents roughly 10.45% of the district's 34,582 registered voters. 1,745 voters cast their ballots during early voting, along with 216 mail-in ballots; 1,646 voters cast their ballots Tuesday.
Casar, who endorsed Vela as his replacement, congratulated him on his win. "Together, we've created a bold, progressive agenda for the city of Austin, and I'm eager to see our new District 4 City Council Member, Chito Vela, continue that work with our community," said Casar. "Despite constant fear-mongering and smear campaigns from far-right wing special interests, District 4 voters elected a progressive champion tonight. We've proven that progressive policies are popular, and I'm looking forward to working with Chito to deliver for working families."
The unofficial election results are expected to be canvassed next week.
