Texas voters approve all eight amendments on November ballot

Texas voters approved all eight amendments to the state’s constitution in the November election, two of which lawmakers proposed in response to restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to March’s stay-at-home order in 2020, which enforced capacity limits on businesses and church services, Proposition 3 bans state and local officials from enacting occupancy limits on religious services, or outright prohibiting them altogether. With 87% of votes reported: 62.7% FOR; 37.3% AGAINST.

At the beginning of the pandemic, visitors were barred from entering nursing homes and assisted living centers. Proposition 6 allows certain residents of homes and centers to choose one person to serve as their caregiver and receive in-person visitation privileges. According to Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, who authored the House bill related to Proposition 6, the pandemic showed people how essential it is to be with a loved one during times of crisis. With 87% of votes reported: 87.9% FOR; 12.1% AGAINST.

There were many other topics raised via the propositions on the ballot:

Proposition 1 allows professional rodeo charitable foundations that are sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to conduct charitable raffles at rodeo events. With 87% of votes reported: 83.8% FOR; 16.2% AGAINST.

Proposition 2 grants counties the authority to issue bonds or notes, financed by property tax increases, to develop infrastructure and transportation in underdeveloped areas. While cities already have the authority, counties do not. With 87% of votes reported: 63.2% FOR; 36.8% AGAINST.

Proposition 4 is a product of the work done by the Judicial Selection Commission during the interim session. It will reverse certain judicial officers’ eligibility requirements. While the commission did not propose a method of changing the judicial selection process, its members unanimously agreed judicial qualifications should be increased. With 87% of votes reported: 58.8% FOR; 41.2% AGAINST.

Proposition 5 allows the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) to conduct investigations into candidates running for a state judicial office, not just people who currently hold judicial office. With 87% of votes reported: 59.2% FOR; 40.8% AGAINST.

Proposition 7 allows a surviving spouse to continue to receive a limitation on school district property taxes if the disabled, deceased spouse was 55 years old or older when they died. With 87% of votes reported: 87.0% FOR; 13.0% AGAINST.

Proposition 8 provides a property tax exemption to the surviving spouse of an armed service member who was killed or injured in the line of duty. Currently, the tax exemption only applies to service members who are killed or injured in action. Therefore, if the cause of a service member’s death or injury is unrelated to combat, the surviving spouse does not qualify for a property tax exemption. With 87% of votes reported: 87.6% FOR; 12.4% AGAINST.

Kerr County’s voter turnout for Tuesday’s election was a mere 13.46%, with just 5,088 voters out of a possible 37,800 registered voters who cast ballots for the November 2nd election. Kerr County voters did approve Emergency Service Districts No. 3 and No. 4

With 100% of the county’s votes tabulated, the ESD No. 3 passed with 72.48%, and voters approved ESD No. 4 with 81.47%. Kerr County voters did not approve Proposition 2, with 59.92% opposing the amendment. Kerr County election officials released the final results at 8:42 p.m., Tuesday night.