The Democratic and Republican primary election ballots each contain a list of propositions that have created some confusion for voters.
What you need to know about voting in the Texas Primary Elections on March 3
Recommended Videos
In municipal and general elections, propositions can be used to pass local bonds and decide proposed state constitutional amendments, but that is not the case on the primary ballots.
The propositions on the primary ballots are basically surveys that will help the parties decide their priorities.
The Democratic Party of Texas said the propositions on its ballot are the Democrats Bill of Rights that “will guide our party, our campaigns, and our movement in the 2020 election.”
The Republican Party of Texas said its 10 Primary ballot propositions are opinion polls, not policy referendums.
“When you vote YES or NO, you are telling us what you think should happen,” the party posted on its website.
Here are the 11 propositions on the Democratic Primary Election ballot:
- Proposition #1
- Should everyone in Texas have a right to quality healthcare, protected by a universally accessible Medicare-style system that saves rural hospitals, reduces the cost of prescription drugs, and guarantees access to reproductive healthcare?
- Proposition #2
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to high-quality public education from pre-k to 12th grade, and affordable college and career training without the burden of crushing student loan debt?
- Proposition #3
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to clean air, safe water, affordable and sustainable alternative energy sources, and a responsible climate policy that recognizes and addresses the climate crisis as a real and serious threat that impacts every aspect of life on this planet?
- Proposition #4
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to economic security, where all workers have earned paid family and sick leave, training to prepare for future economies, and a living wage that respects their hard work?
- Proposition #5
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to a life of dignity and respect, free from discrimination and harassment anywhere, including businesses and public facilities, no matter how they identify, the color of their skin, whom they love, socioeconomic status, disability status, housing status, or from where they come?
- Proposition #6
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to live a life free from violence—gun violence, racial hatred, terrorism, domestic violence, bullying, harassment or sexual assault—so Texans can grow in a safe environment?
- Proposition #7
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to affordable and accessible housing and modern utilities (electricity, water, gas, and high-speed internet) free from any form of discrimination?
- Proposition #8
- Should every eligible Texan have the right to vote, made easier by automatic voter registration, the option to vote by mail, guaranteed early and mobile voting stations, and a state election holiday — free from corporate campaign influence, foreign and domestic interference, and gerrymandering?
- Proposition #9
- Should everyone in Texas have the right to a fair criminal justice system that treats people equally, uses proven methods for de-escalating situations instead of excessive force, and puts an end to the mass and disproportionate incarceration of people of color for minor offenses?
- Proposition #10
- Should there be a just and fair comprehensive immigration reform solution that includes an earned path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants and their children, keeps families together, protects DREAMers, and provides workforce solutions for businesses?
- Proposition #11
- Should Texas establish equitable taxation for people at all income levels and for businesses and corporations, large and small, so our state government can fund our educational, social, infrastructure, business, and all government services to improve programs necessary for all Texans to thrive?
Here are the 10 propositions on the Republican Primary Election ballot:
- Proposition #1
- Texas should not restrict or prohibit prayer in public schools.
- Proposition #2
- Texas should reject restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.
- Proposition #3
- Texas should ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, which allows your tax dollars to be spent on lobbyists who work against the taxpayer.
- Proposition #4
- Texas should support the construction of a physical barrier and use existing defense-grade surveillance equipment along the entire southern border of Texas.
- Proposition #5
- Texas parents or legal guardians of public school children under the age of 18 should be the sole decision makers for all their children’s healthcare decisions including, but not limited to, psychological assessment and treatment, contraception, and sex education.
- Proposition #6
- Texas should ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery on all minor children for transition purposes, given that Texas children as young as three (3) are being transitioned from their biological sex to the opposite sex.
- Proposition #7
- Texans should protect and preserve all historical monuments, artifacts, and buildings, such as the Alamo Cenotaph and our beloved Alamo, and should oppose any reimagining of the Alamo site.
- Proposition #8
- Texas election officials should heed the directives of the Office of the Governor to purge illegal voters from the voter rolls and verify that each new registered voter is a U.S. Citizen.
- Proposition #9
- Bail in Texas should be based only on a person’s danger to society and risk of flight, not that person’s ability to pay.
- Proposition #10
- Texas should limit our state legislators’ terms to 12 years.