On Thursday night, KUT and the Austin Monitor hosted a live debate at the North Door on the May 7 ballot question about regulations for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft.
A "Yes" vote on the measure would repeal the requirements for fingerprint-based background checks for ride-hailing drivers that were passed by the Austin City Council in December, which is not yet being enforced. If it passes, Uber and Lyft would continue to do the name-based background checks that they currently do.
For a full explanation of what a "Yes" or "No" vote would do, check out our handy explainer here.
Early voting starts April 25. Election day is May 7.
In the debate Thursday, Huey Rey Fischer and Joe Bowen from Ridesharing Works for Austin (the Uber- and Lyft-funded group that petitioned to put the issue on the ballot) argued in favor. Laura Morrison and Dean Rindy from the Our City, Our Safety, Our Choice political action committee argued against.
