ELECTIONS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) Board of Directors hires the Chief Appraiser, approves the TCAD budget, approves contracts, and sets general policies. The Board does not appraise property or review property values. The TCAD Board of Directors includes three directors elected by the voters of Travis County.

The canvassed results of the May 2024 election are now available online.

DATE OF ELECTION

November 3, 2026

PLACE OF ELECTION

TCAD contracts with Travis County to conduct elections.

Early voting and Election Day voting locations will be provided as soon as they are available.

POSITIONS ON THE BALLOT

Travis Central Appraisal District, Travis County, Board of Directors, Place 1
Travis Central Appraisal District, Travis County, Board of Directors, Place 2
Travis Central Appraisal District, Travis County, Board of Directors, Place 3

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to serve as an elected member of the board of directors, an individual must meet certain eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements include the following:

General eligibility requirements for public office as defined by Section 141.001 of the Texas Election Code, except for Section 141.001(a)(5).
The individual must be a resident of the district (county) and must have resided in the district (county) for at least two years immediately preceding the date the individual takes office (Section 6.0301, Tax Code). This is a longer residency requirement than the general rule outlined in Section 141.001 of the Election Code. Given the more specific residence requirement provided under the Tax Code, candidates for the elected board of director offices will need to have resided in the county longer than the six months required under Section 141.001 of the Election Code as of the filing deadline. See Brown v. Patterson, 609 S.W.2d 287 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1980).
An individual who is otherwise eligible to serve on the board is not ineligible because of membership on the governing body of a taxing unit. An employee of a taxing unit that participates in the district is not eligible to serve on the board unless the individual is also a member of the governing body or an elected official of a taxing unit that participates in the district. (Section 6.0301, Tax Code).
An individual is not eligible to be a candidate for, to be appointed to, or to serve on the board of directors of an appraisal district if the individual or a business entity in which the individual has a substantial interest is a party to a contract with: 1) the appraisal district; or 2) a taxing unit that participates in the appraisal district, if the contract relates to the performance of an activity governed by Title 1 of the Tax Code. (Section 6.036(a), Tax Code, effective July 1, 2024.)
Each candidate must sign and submit to the chief appraiser an acknowledgement of the director’s duties.

METHOD OF ELECTION

Majority Vote Requirement

Section 6.0301 of the Tax Code provides that three directors of an appraisal district must be elected by majority vote at the general election for state and county officers by the voters of the county in which the district is established. A majority vote means that the winning candidate must receive more than fifty percent of the votes. If no candidate receives more than fifty percent of the vote in an election requiring a majority, then a runoff election is required between the top two vote getters, pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Election Code.

Directors Elected At-Large by Place

To elect three directors by majority vote in the same election, candidates for the appraisal district board of directors must be elected at-large by place. Specifically, the board of directors for the appraisal district must be elected to either the at-large by place 1, at-large by place 2, or at-large by place 3 position. Further, candidates must indicate on their candidate application the at-large position for which they are running.

FILING TO RUN

Applications to run for the Travis CAD Board of Directors will be accepted from July 18, 2026 to August 17, 2026. The application fee is $400 or a petition in lieu of the filing fee containing 500 signatures. Interested candidates should complete the application and submit the application fee or petition to the county clerk or elections administrator, as applicable.

Download the application form

Each candidate must also submit to the chief appraiser an acknowledgement of the director’s duties. An individual cannot file an application for a place on the ballot unless the individual has signed and submitted the required document.

DESIGNATION OF A CAMPAIGN TREASURER

A candidate must file a designation of campaign treasurer before accepting any contribution or expending any contribution. A candidate may file such designation prior to filing an application for a place on the general election ballot.

FILING DESIGNATION OF CAMPAIGN TREASURER AND OTHER CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS

In Person: Travis Central Appraisal District, 850 E Anderson Lane, Austin TX 78752, Attn: James Valadez
By Mail: Travis Central Appraisal District, P.O. Box 149012, Austin, TX 78714-9012, Attn: James Valadez
By E-mail:  [email protected]