Decisions, decisions – 17 propositions are on your ballot for Election Day

THE WOODLANDS, TX – We’re about halfway through early voting for the November 4 election. While most Woodlanders assume that the big race is to determine who will be the board director for the Township Position 6 – positions 5 and 7 have unopposed incumbents running – it should be noted that the Lone Star State has seen fit to place no less than seventeen propositions on the ballot.

These measures came out of the Texas State Legislature in its most recent session – the highest number for a single election date since 2003.

According to Ballotpedia, in Texas, citizens do not have the power to initiate statewide initiatives or referendums. The State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments, to the ballot.

Texas is one of 16 states that requires a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the Texas House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Texas Senate, assuming no vacancies.

Here is a breakdown of the proposed amendments, courtesy of Ballotpedia:

• Proposition 1 – Higher education funding; Restricted-use funds – Establish the Permanent Technical Institution Infrastructure Fund (Permanent Fund) and the Available Workforce Education Fund (Available Fund) as special funds in the state treasury to support the Texas Technical College System
• Proposition 2 – Income taxes – Prohibit a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust
• Proposition 3 – Bail – Requires judges or magistrates to deny bail to individuals accused of certain violent or sexual offenses punishable as a felony if there is clear and convincing evidence that the accused will not reappear in court or is a danger to the community
• Proposition 4 – Water; Sales taxes; Restricted-use funds – Authorize the state legislature to allocate sales tax revenue that exceeds the first $46.5 billion with a maximum of $1 billion per fiscal year to the state water fund and authorize the state legislature, by a two-thirds vote, to adjust the amount allocated
• Proposition 5 – Agriculture; Tax exemptions – Establish a property tax exemption on animal feed held by the owner of the property for retail sale
• Proposition 6 – Business taxes – Prohibit the enactment of laws that impose taxes on entities that enter into transactions conveying securities or on certain securities transactions
• Proposition 7 – Homestead tax; Tax exemptions; Veterans – Establish a property tax homestead exemption on all or part of the market value of the homestead of a surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected disease
• Proposition 8 – Property taxes – Prohibit the state legislature from enacting laws imposing taxes on a decedent's property or the transfer of an estate
• Proposition 9 – Tax exemptions – Authorize the state legislature to exempt $125,000 of the market value of personal tangible property used for income production from taxes
• Proposition 10 – Homestead tax; Tax exemptions – Provide a temporary homestead exemption for improvements made to residences destroyed by fire
• Proposition 11 – Homestead tax; Tax exemptions – Increase the property tax exemption from $10,000 to $60,000 of the market value for homesteads owned by elderly or disabled individuals
• Proposition 12 – Judiciary – Change the composition of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, provide for a temporary tribunal to review the commission's recommendations, and change the authority governing judicial misconduct
• Proposition 13 – Homestead tax; Tax exemptions – Increase the property tax exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 of the market value of a homestead
• Proposition 14 – Healthcare governance; Administrative organization; Spending; Vaccinations and disease – Establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas with $3 billion from the general fund
• Proposition 15 – Constitutional rights; Family – Provide that parents have the right "to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing"
• Proposition 16 – Citizenship voting – Amend the Texas Constitution to provide that "persons who are not citizens of the United States" cannot vote
• Proposition 17 – Tax exemptions – Authorize the state legislature to provide for a property tax exemption for the construction of border infrastructure on property located in a county that borders Mexico

Early voting runs Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Monday, October 27 - Wednesday, October 29, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; and Thursday, October 30 - Friday, October 31, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. While you must vote at your precinct polling station on Election Day, Montgomery County residents can early vote at any one of these locations:

• North Montgomery County Community Center – 600 Gerald Street, Willis 77378 – Community Room 102 and 103
• Lone Star Community Center (Not the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe) – 2500 Lone Star Parkway, Montgomery 77356 – Cissy Boulware Room
• West Montgomery County Community Development Center – 31355 Friendship Drive, Magnolia 77355 – Green Room
• East Montgomery County Fair Association Building – 21675A McCleskey Road, New Caney 77357 – Main Room
• Magnolia Event Center Annex – 11731 FM 1488, Magnolia 77354 – Main Room
• Central Library (Main Early Voting Polling Place – Limited Ballots) – 104 I-45 North, Conroe 77301 – Large Meeting Room
• Kevin Brady Library and Community Center – 2250 Buckthorne Pl, Spring 77380 – Julie Ambler Meeting Room 114 A and B
• Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center – 1300 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring 77386 – Community Center
• East Montgomery County Community Development Center – 16401 First Street, Suite 100, Splendora 77372 – Hayden and Dunn Conference Rooms
• Special Forms of Early Voting and Ballot by Mail ONLY at Election Central, 9159 Airport Road, Conroe 77303 – Foyer

Stay tuned to Woodlands Online for updates throughout this election season.