Early voting is underway for the Nov. 7 election and while there aren’t many major races to vote on there are more than a dozen state propositions.
You can read the constitutional amendments on Bexar County’s sample ballot, but many may find the language confusing and hard to understand.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each proposition that will hopefully better explain each one:
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 1 - Limits regulations on farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture and wildlife management.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 2- A property tax break for child-care centers.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 3 - The amendment would ban lawmakers from imposing “wealth taxes” — new state taxes based on net worth — without voter approval.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 4 - This is the $18 billion property tax cut lawmakers have been talking about this year. It would put a temporary limit on appraisal values for non-homestead properties and it would increase the homestead exemption on school district taxes which could save a homeowner around $1,200.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 5 - This relates to the Texas University Fund and would provide funding to certain institutions to achieve national prominence as major research universities.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 6 - This would create the Texas water fund to assist in financing water projects in Texas.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 7 - This would create the Texas energy fund to help companies build or upgrade electricity-generating plants.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 8 - Expanding high-speed internet to all Texans is the goal of this proposition. An approval would help areas and counties that are struggling to get households connected.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 9 - If this proposition is approved, it would increase the cost-of-living adjustments for retired Texas teachers. Depending on when a teacher retired, they could see increases from two to six percent.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 10 - This would create tax exemptions for manufacturers of medical or biomedical products in an effort to strengthen the state’s medical supply chain.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 11 - This proposition would permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 12 - The abolishment of the Galveston County treasurer’s office.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 13 - Increasing the mandatory age of retirement for state justices and judges from 75 to 79.
STATE OF TEXAS PROPOSITION 14 - If approved, $1 billion would go toward the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to buy land to create and improve state parks. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, this would be the largest investment in parks in our state’s history.
- In Bexar County, voters may also see other races on their ballots, depending on their voting precincts. You can click here to view the FULL SAMPLE BALLOT in Bexar County.
- Registered voters can vote at any polling site during the early voting period from Oct. 23-Nov. 3, or vote at any polling site on Election Day on Nov. 7.
- You can read further explanations of the propositions in this article and in the state’s explanatory statements below: