Beginning Monday, voters across Texas will be deciding on a slate of 14 proposed amendments to the state Constitution — on topics affecting property taxes, money for state parks and tax exemption for child care facilities — as early voting in the Nov. 7 election gets underway.
State lawmakers still haven’t finished deciding how to spend a record $32.7 billion surplus this year, but major pieces have been hammered out — such as cost of living adjustments for retired teachers — and are now headed to voters for approval Nov. 7.
Members of both parties agree none of the 14 proposed constitutional amendments on the November ballot are particularly controversial. But the Texas Constitution caps how much the Legislature can spend based on the rate of economic growth unless a majority of lawmakers agree to break it, or voters give permission.
“A lot of what we did in the Senate are in these propositions,” state Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) told the Bexar County Republican Women last week. “… The way they’re listed allows us to get around the spending cap, but they’re one-time capital expenditures that we had in our surplus.”
What’s on the ballot?
For a detailed explanation of the 14 proposed constitutional amendments, go here. The propositions include:
- Proposition 2, which would permit cities and counties to exempt child care providers from paying property taxes for facilities used for child care centers. Getting a property tax break of at least 50% would help ease financial pressures on child care providers facing the loss of pandemic relief money, proponents say.
- Proposition 4, which would lower property tax payments for property owners as part of a package of cuts to school property taxes and other tax relief measures. The amendment also would raise the state’s homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 and place a temporary cap on appraisals for certain commercial, mineral and residential properties that do not have a homestead exemption.
- Proposition 6, which would create a state water fund to pay for water infrastructure projects, repair existing systems that are deteriorating and acquire more water sources.
- Proposition 8, which would create a fund for broadband infrastructure projects. The $1.5 billion fund would pay for the expansion of internet access across the state.
- Proposition 13, which would raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 75 to 79.
- Proposition 14, which would create a $1 billion fund for the creation and improvement of state parks. Among other uses, the fund would be used to purchase more land for state parks.
In addition to the constitutional amendment election, the San Antonio River Authority is holding elections for two at-large members. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will join four river authority district representatives for Bexar County on the 12-person board, which also includes at-large members from Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties.
Read about the candidates here.
Several Bexar County municipalities — Windcrest, Helotes, Schertz, Converse and Hill Country Village — are holding elections as well.
When is early voting?
Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 23, and ends on Friday, Nov. 3. With the exception of the polling site at the Bexar County Courthouse, polls are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, the last day of early voting.
When is Election Day?
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. With the exception of the polling site at the Bexar County Courthouse, polls are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Those polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, the last day of early voting.
Where can I vote early?
There are more than 40 voting centers across San Antonio and Bexar County, and registered voters can cast a ballot at any one of them. Find a list of voting centers, along with hours of operation, here.
How can I determine if I’m registered to vote?
In order to vote, you need to be registered. The deadline to register for this election was Oct. 10. You can check your voter registration status here. All you need are a few things: Voter Unique Identifier (VUID) or Texas driver’s license number, your name, county and date of birth.
Make sure your voter information is up to date. If your address or name has changed, your voter information must be updated.
How do I know if I’m eligible to vote?
You are eligible to vote if you registered by the Oct. 10 deadline and are:
- A U.S. citizen
- A resident of the county where you submit your voter registration application
- At least 18 years old on Election Day
- Not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation and parole)
- Not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
What do I need to bring with me to vote?
When voting in person, Texans are required to provide one of the following forms of identification:
- Texas driver’s license
- Texas election identification certificate
- Texas personal identification card
- Texas handgun license
- U.S. military identification card containing your photograph
- U.S. citizenship certificate with your photograph
- U.S. passport
What if I want to vote by mail?
You must request an application from the Bexar County Elections Department to vote by mail. Click here for instructions on how to apply for a mail-in ballot.
The deadline to request a mail ballot for this election is Oct. 27. An application to vote by mail must be received by the elections department by that date.
In Texas, you are eligible to vote by mail only if you:
- are 65 years or older on Election Day
- are disabled
- expect to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day
- will be absent from the county you’re registered in during early voting and on Election Day
- are in jail but otherwise eligible to vote.
On your application to vote by mail, you must include an ID number, either your Texas driver’s license number, your Texas personal identification number, your Texas election identification certificate or the last four digits of your Social Security number. The law requires that one of the numbers must match a number on your voter registration record.
Have more questions?
Check out VoteTexas.gov. Or ask us, and we’ll find an answer for you!
This article has been updated to correct that Proposition 4 would raise the state homestead exemption to $100,000, not lower it.
