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The results of the Proposition B vote in Austin s May 1 election show a sharp east-west voter divide over whether a public camping ban aimed at the city s homeless population should be reinstated.
Precinct-by-precinct results indicated that supporters of Prop B carried all precincts west of MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1). Meanwhile, large swaths of East Austin voted against Prop B.
The east-west divide in how voters cast ballots is nothing new to Austin West Austinites tend to be less progressive than their East Austin counterparts. But passing Prop B required a bipartisan coalition.
The final results showed that in a city that favored Joe Biden over Donald Trump by a near 3-to-1 ratio in last November s presidential election, a large number of Democrats turned away from the party line.
Austin voters are now getting their say at the ballot box on the city s controversial policies on homeless camping.
Proposition B takes center stage in Saturday s city election, giving residents the voice they did not have two years ago when the Austin City Council made it lawful to camp in most public spaces by canceling a 23-year-old ordinance that had prohibited it.
If approved, Proposition B could eliminate the growing number of tent encampments in high-traffic areas by reinstating criminal penalties and forcing the unsheltered residents to find somewhere else to stay. The city and partnering organizations have initiated short-term and long-term plans to increase the inventory of available shelter and housing options for people experiencing homelessness. For now, however, they do not have nearly enough to offer one to everyone in need.