Texas Constitutional Amendments Simplified

Texas will be voting on eight different Constitutional Amendments this November. The last time that Texans voted on Constitutional Amendments, only 12.4% of those eligible voted. So this year, let’s get out and vote.

39% of registered but infrequent voters reported not voting, at least partly because they felt they did not know enough to make an informed decision. In order to turn out these voters, we must ensure they feel prepared to make informed decisions about their ballot.

Constitutional Amendments are probably among the most confusing things you could see on your ballot, so let’s go through what your ballot will say and then what it actually means.

1. Gambling and Rodeos

• The constitutional amendment authorizes the professional sports team charitable foundations of organizations sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association to conduct charitable raffles at rodeo venues.
• This would allow the charitable foundations of Rodeo sports teams to have charitable raffles where rodeos are held.

2. County Bonds

• The constitutional amendment authorizes a county to finance the development or redevelopment of transportation or infrastructure in unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted areas in the county.
• It would allow counties to issue bonds in order to fund infrastructure and transportation projects. Currently, cities are allowed to, by expanding to counties, it allows coverage of unincorporated areas. Wouldn’t allow funding construction, operation, maintenance, or acquisition of rights of way of toll-road. Also would prohibit counties from committing more than 65% of the revenues from ad valorem tax (like property or real estate taxes) to repay the bonds.

3. Limiting Religious Services

• The constitutional amendment to prohibit this state or a political subdivision of this state from prohibiting or limiting religious services of religious organizations.
• Prohibit state or any political subdivision (any sort of governmental entity) from enacting law, rule, order, proclamation that limits religious services or orgs. This has to do with COVID restrictions that suspended in-person church services and would make doing something like this unconstitutional.

4. State Judiciary Eligibility

• The constitutional amendment changes the eligibility requirements for a Supreme Court justice, a judge of the court of criminal appeals, a justice of a court of appeals, and a district judge.
• Change eligibility requirements for justice of the Supreme Court, judge of court of federal appeals, justice of the court of appeals, and district judge. I would increase years of experience necessary to run for district judge from 4 to 8 years. The years of experience necessary for the positions Justice of the Supreme Court Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals, and Justice of the Court of Appeals is 10. If the license to practice law is revoked or suspended at any point in the ten years, they are disqualified.

5. State Judiciary Elections

• The constitutional amendment provides additional powers to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with respect to candidates for judicial office.
• Allows Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct to accept and investigate complaints and reports against those running for judicial office. Eliminate unfairness because incumbents are held to Code of Judicial Conduct, but not challengers

6. Visitors to Residents of Nursing Homes

• The constitutional amendment establishes a right for residents of certain facilities to designate an essential caregiver for in-person visitation.
• Allows residents of nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, or state-supported living centers to designate an essential caregiver that cannot be stopped from visiting, no matter what. This responds to COVID restrictions that prevented visitors to these facilities due to safety concerns.

7. Tax Exemption for Spouses of Disabled Individuals

• The constitutional amendment to allow the surviving spouse of a person who is disabled to receive a limitation on the school district ad valorem taxes on the spouse’s residence homestead if the spouse is 55 years of age or older at the time of the person’s death.
• This would expand the current exemption disabled individuals can apply for (a $10,000 homestead tax exemption plus a limit on school district property taxes) to surviving spouses of disabled individuals, as long as the spouse is at least 55 years old and lives at home. This would prevent surviving spouses from facing a steep increase in taxes following the death of their partner.

8. Tax Exemption for Spouses of Military Members Killed in the Line of Duty

• The constitutional amendment authorizes the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a member of the armed services of the United States who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.
• Would expand the current total residence homestead tax exemption for surviving spouses of members of the armed services killed or injured in the line of duty. This expands the exemption from just those “killed in action” to those killed in the line of duty, which includes during military training and other military duties.

It is essential that we get out and vote this November. Rideshare2Vote believes in the value of local elections and the importance of every single vote. We are running in Texas, starting with early voting for this election and for several municipal elections. The last day to register to vote for this election is Oct 4th, and early voting runs from Oct 18th to the 29th. So please make an effort to get out and vote.

by Betsy Zalinski