West Texas Indivisible held their “Rock The Vote” event at Blue Agave, ahead of the constitutional amendment voting next month, and organizers said turnout was good for an off-year election. In between sets, members of Indivisible took a moment to explain the constitutional amendments on the ballot, as voters were getting registered alongside.
Early voting for the Nov. 4 elections in Tom Green County opens on Oct. 20, with school board elections for Miles and Wall ISDs and a raft of proposed constitutional amendments for Texas.
What’s the Deal With Constitutional Amendments?
The Texas Constitution was adopted Feb. 15, 1876, and represents the seventh governing document for the state, if the original Mexican Constitution is included.
State Constitutions were adopted:
- In 1827 as part of Mexico, Coahuila y Tejas
- In 1836 as The Republic of Texas
- In 1845, with U.S. statehood
- In 1861, with the Confederate rebellion
- In 1866, when the Confederacy was defeated
And then again in 1869.
The Texas Constitution is the second-longest state charter in the United States, and only three states (Alabama, California and Louisiana) have more amendments
The Texas Constitution has 530 amendments approved by voters, out of 714 proposals.
Why do we do this?
Lawmakers, in an effort to embed legislative changes permanently, have historically written them into state constitutions, making roll-back attempts by subsequent legislatures more difficult.
Critics of the practice suggest it helps avoid regular budgetary oversights, reduces the flexibility officials have to exercise individual discretion and centralizes power within the leadership of the Texas House and Senate.
This system also functions as a damper on surges in populist opinion — both liberal and conservative — as the voting public has no direct legislative mechanism outside of voting for their representatives.
Many states have a ballot initiative process, which allow voters to insist an issue be decided by an election, including several states where marijuana is now legal, for instance.
In Texas, no issue reaches the ballot unless the Legislature chooses to put it there.
Why So Many?
Because most of Texas’ administrative strictures are spelled out by state statute, amendments are required for just about every change to education funding, property-taxes or judicial reform.
Concerns about the unwieldy nature of our Constitution prompted state lawmakers to hold the Constitutional Convention of 1974, which resulted in a streamlined replacement for the 1876 document, but the idea failed by three votes.
The following year, an attempt was made to adopt parts of the proposed constitution as eight separate amendments was rejected by voters.
San Angelo’s State Rep. Rob Junell helped spearhead a rewrite attempt in 1999, but his bill died in committee. His cosponsor on the bill, State Sen. Bill Ratliff called the Texas Constitution “broke.”
Texas very typically votes on several proposed constitutional amendments per election cycle, varying between two (a low number), and eight to 10 (very typical).
This election cycle, Texans are voting on 17 proposed amendments, which is the second-most in a single election, behind the 22 changes proposed in 2003.
Election Hours and Polling Places
Early Voting will take place at the Elections Office inside the Keyes Building, 113 W. Beauregard Ave., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20-24 and Oct. 27-29, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 30-31.
Election Day Polling Places
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 4.
- Angelo Bible Church, 3506 Sherwood Way, Lobby
- Belmore Baptist Church, 1214 S. Bell St., Fellowship Hall
- Calvary Baptist Church, 2401 Armstrong St., Fellowship Center
- Christoval Community Center, 20022 Main, Christoval, Multi-purpose room
- Concho Valley Transit District (Bus Depot), 506 N. Chadbourne St., Annex Building
- SAF Church, 1442 Edmund Blvd., Fellowship Hall
- Grape Creek Community Center, 8207 US Hwy 87 North, Gene Marsh Board Room
- Keating Paint & Body, 5050 N. Chadbourne St., Reception Area
- Paulann Baptist Church, 2531 Smith Blvd., The Chapel
- Oak Grove Senior Apartments, 4375 Oak Grove Blvd., Multi-purpose Room
- Southgate Church of Christ, 528 Country Club Rd., Fellowship Hall
- Southside Recreation Center, 2750 Ben Ficklin Rd., Multi-purpose Room
- St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 8602 Loop 570, Wall, TX, 76957, Fellowship Hall
- MHMR Concho Valley, Admin. Bldg., 1501 W. Beauregard Ave., Jack Ray Room
- Veribest Baptist Church, 50 Farm-to-Market Rd. 2334, Veribest, Fellowship Hall
- Wesley Trinity United Methodist Church, 301 West 18th St., Fellowship Hall
- TXDOT Offices, 4502 Knickerbocker Rd., Bldg. E, Training Room
- Westlake Ace Hardware, 1821 Knickerbocker Rd., Sales Floor
PROPOSED CONSTITUTION AMENDMENTS
Pressure from the electorate prompted legislators to address property taxes, water, education, judicial reform, and criminal justice, among other things.
VOTERS INDICATE WHETHER THEY ARE “FOR” OR “AGAINST”
Proposition 1
- Technical college infrastructure fund
- Would create two dedicated state funds: one for Texas State Technical College infrastructure, and another for workforce-education capital needs.
- Seeded with about $850 million from general revenue, these funds would be outside of the regular state budget with constitutional status, and no need for annual budget approval.
Proposition 2
- Constitutional Ban on Capital Gains Tax
- Would prohibit any state tax on capital gains — whether realized or unrealized — for individuals, families, estates, or trusts.
- Texas does not have a capital gains tax, and this would cement that status permanently, enjoining the state from ever taxing your investment profits, regardless of whether you sell or hold the assets.
Proposition 3
- Bail denial authority
- Would require judges to deny bail in certain felony cases where prosecutors demonstrate the suspect poses risk of flight or danger to the community. This amendment tightens existing rules.
Proposition 4
- Revenue for water fund
- Amendment would dedicate a portion revenues from sales and use taxes to the Texas Water Fund supporting water infrastructure, supply expansion and rural access projects.
- According to officials, this will be used for major projects to shore up water supplies throughout the state.
Proposition 5
- Amendment would exempt animal feed held for sale from property taxes, aiding farmers and ranchers.
Proposition 6
- Amendment would block legislature from adding an occupation tax on securities transactions.
- An occupation tax is typically levied on people for the privilege of doing business certain sectors, such as securities trading. The amendment would ban the state legislature from imposing such taxes on registered securities market operators, or on securities transactions themselves, ahead of the Texas Stock Exchange’s anticipated opening in 2026.
Proposition 7
- Amendment would allow surviving spouses of veterans who died from service-related conditions keep a homestead property-tax exemption.
Proposition 8
- Amendment would ban state-level “death tax” on estate, inheritance or gift taxes.
Proposition 9
- Amendment would exempt tangible property like equipment, used for income production, from ad valorem taxes.
Proposition 10
- Amendment would create a temporary tax exemption for “rebuilt value” when a home is entirely destroyed by fire.
Proposition 11
- Amendment would expand the value exemption on elderly or disabled homeowners’ homesteads for school district taxes from $10,000 to $60,000, reducing school district taxes for qualifying individuals, which will be offset by state funds to maintain district funding levels
Proposition 12
- Judicial conduct reforms
- Amendment would revise the structure and authority of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the Texas Supreme Court to discipline judges more effectively, clarifying who investigates complaints and how sanctions are to be applied, expanding and restructuring the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, increasing its membership and public representation.
Proposition 13
- Homestead exemption increase
- Amendment would raise the exemption for residence homesteads from $100,000 to $140,000 for property-tax purposes at the district level, providing relief for homeowners.
- Critics say it does so by shifting the burden onto renters, small businesses, and non-exempt property owners.
Proposition 14
- Dementia Prevention & Research Institute
- Amendment would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing a $3 billion research fund, via state general revenue initially. If voters approve, the institute will formally begin operating in December with facilities planned near Midland, and funding for research into Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and related disorders.
Proposition 15
- Amendment would affirm parents role as their children’s primary decision-makers.
Proposition 16
- Amendment would clarify in the Constitution that only U.S. citizens may vote, codifying existing state and federal law.
Proposition 17
- Amendment would allow property in counties along the Mexican border to receive a property-tax exemption for value added from border-security infrastructure.
