Texas Republican primary voters will be asked to weigh in on 13 propositions to help shape the party’s legislative priorities.
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) released 13 different propositions that primary voters will be asked to vote for or against on March 5. They were approved on December 2 by the party’s executive committee.
The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) attempted to put a “TEXIT” proposition on the ballot. However, an open letter from RPT chairman Matt Rinaldi claimed that only 8,300 of the 139,000 signatures collected to have the state’s secession considered on the ballot were valid, and they were submitted a day late, according to KERA. TNM promised to take legal action in response.
“It is clear that the Republican Party of Texas is grasping for any tactic, no matter how ridiculous, to suppress the voices of Republican voters who merely want their voices heard on this fundamental issue of governance,” Daniel Miller, TNM’s president, wrote in response.
The state of play for the Republican primaries has already been characterized by the political fallout of Gov. Greg Abbott’s deadlocked fight for school choice and the failed impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, as covered by The Dallas Express.
Here is a rundown of the 13 propositions Republican voters in the Lone Star State will weigh in on:
1) Property Tax
“Texas should eliminate all property taxes without increasing Texans’ overall tax burden.”
2) Manpower for Border Protection
“Texas should create a Border Protection Unit and deploy additional state law enforcement and military forces to seal the border, to use physical force to prevent illegal entry and trafficking, and to deport illegal aliens to Mexico or to their nations of origin.”
3) Expanding Mandatory Use of E-Verify
“The Texas Legislature should require the use of E-Verify by all employers in Texas to protect jobs for legal workers by preventing the hiring of illegal aliens.”
Currently, Texas law only requires that “state agencies, institutions of higher education, and sexually oriented businesses,” as well as entities looking to qualify for certain public contracts, use E-Verify to verify the legal status of employees.
4) Taxpayer Funds for Unlawful Migrants’ Education
“The Texas Legislature should end all subsidies and public services, including in-state college tuition and enrollment in public schools, for illegal aliens.”
5) Cutting Pathways for Unlawful Migrants to Become Lawful
“Texas urges the United States Congress not to grant any form of amnesty or a pathway to legalization for illegal aliens.”
6) Texas National Guard Deployment Abroad
“The Texas Legislature should prohibit the deployment of the Texas National Guard to a foreign conflict unless Congress first formally declares war.”
7) Move Toward a Texas Gold-Backed Digital Currency
“The Texas Legislature should establish authority within the Texas State Comptroller’s office to administer access to gold and silver through the Texas Bullion Depository for use as legal tender.”
Although stalled in committee, SB 2334 was put forward this spring as a way to curb nationwide inflation by establishing a new digital currency based on deposits of gold and silver that the state would hold in trust. This proposition appears related to this initiative by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola).
8) Curbing Mandatory Vaccination Initiatives
“The State of Texas should ensure that Texans are free to give or to withhold consent for any vaccine without coercion.”
9) Republican Primaries for Republicans Only
“The Republican Party of Texas should restrict voting in the Republican primary to only registered Republicans.”
Texas’ primaries are currently open, meaning anyone can vote in any party’s primaries regardless of their registration status.
10) Prosecuting Election Crimes
“The Texas Constitution should be amended to restore authority to the Texas Attorney General to prosecute election crimes.”
11) School Choice
“Texas parents and guardians should have the right to select schools, whether public or private, for their children, and the funding should follow the student.”
12) No Vote Without Proof of Citizenship
“The Texas Constitution should be amended to require proof of citizenship before any individual can be registered to vote.”
13) Land Sale Ban
“Texas should ban the sale of Texas land to citizens, governments, and entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.”