Texas voters will have 14 constitutional amendments to consider when they head to the polls on Tuesday, and residents in one House district will have the added responsibility of selecting their new representative in the state’s lower chamber.
The proposed amendments to the Constitution of the State of Texas in this year’s election cover a variety of issues, including farming regulations, tax breaks, teacher benefits, high-speed internet, funding for water and electricity projects, and more. Here are the 14 propositions that will appear on the ballot, per Ballotpedia:
Prop.1 — Establishes a right to farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management on privately owned or leased property;
Prop.2 — Allows local governments to exempt child-care facilities from property taxes;
Prop.3 — Prohibits the Texas Legislature from imposing a wealth or net worth tax;
Prop.4 — Increases the homestead tax exemption to $100,000, authorizes the Texas Legislature to limit annual appraisal hikes, establishes term limits for some county appraisal bodies, and allows for increased state funding of public education;
Prop.5 — Renames the National Research University Fund to the Texas University Fund and establishes an ongoing revenue source from the interest accrued from the state’s economic stabilization fund;
Prop.6 — Creates the Texas Water Fund to finance water projects around the state;
Prop.7 — Creates the Texas Energy Fund and authorizes the spending of taxpayer money to modernize electric generation facilities;
Prop.8 — Creates the Broadband Infrastructure Fund to finance high-speed broadband access and other telecommunications projects;
Prop.9 — Authorizes the Texas Legislature to make cost-of-living adjustments or other benefit enhancements to eligible annuitants of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas;
Prop.10 — Authorizes the Texas Legislature to establish an ad valorem tax exemption on equipment and inventory manufactured by medical or biomedical companies;
Prop.11 — Authorizes the Texas Legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to allow the county to issue bonds to fund parks and recreational facilities;
Prop.12 — Abolishes the position of Galveston County treasurer and allows a qualified person or other county official to assume the former post’s duties;
Prop.13 — Increases the mandatory retirement age for state judges from 75 to 79;
Prop.14 — Creates the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to pay for the creation or improvement of state parks.
The only statehouse race in this off-year election is for the presently vacant seat in District 2, which represents Hunt, Hopkins, and Van Zandt Counties. The seat was vacated when the Texas House voted unanimously on May 9 to expel former Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) from the chamber following allegations of an extramarital affair.
A House investigative committee concluded that Slaton had plied a 19-year-old intern with alcohol, getting her drunk, and then had sex with her. He allegedly pressured the girl to keep the affair quiet, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Five of the six candidates vying to fill the unexpired term are Republicans: Jill Dutton of Ben Wheeler, Heath Hyde of Sulphur Springs,
Brent Money of Greenville, Doug Roszhart of Greenville, and Krista Schild of Royse City. The sixth candidate is Democrat Kristen Washington of Greenville.
Polling locations will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.