Texas Special Election Day: What to know

Texans to vote on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution

From property taxes to parental rights to education and research, voters have a chance to decide the fate of 17 proposed constitutions amendments during Election Day today.

UTRGV is hosting two polling locations, one in the ESTAC lounge in Edinburg and one in the Clinical Education Building in Harlingen. Polls at both locations will remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

What’s on the Ballot? 

Health and Research

• Prop 14: Establishes the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund which will receive $3 billion in state funds.

Taxes

• Prop 2: Bans a state tax on realized and unrealized capital gains.
  
• Prop 5: Exempts animal feed for retail sale from taxes levied in proportion to an item’s value.
  
• Prop 6: Bans occupation taxes and securities (stock and bond) transaction taxes.
  
• Prop 7: Grants property-tax exemption to un-remarried spouses of veterans killed in the line of duty.
  
• Prop 8: Bans estate and inheritance taxes.
  
• Prop 9: Raises the business inventory and equipment exemption from $2,500 to $125,000.
  
• Prop 10: Temporarily lowers property taxes on destroyed by fire.
  
• Prop 11: Raises the homestead exemption, which reduces taxable property value, for elderly and disabled Texans.
  
• Prop 13: Raises property tax exemption for homeowners to $140,000.
  
• Prop 17: Creates a property tax exemption for private land that hosts border-security infrastructure.

Infrastructure, Education and Workforce

• Prop 1: Creates two new education and workforce funds for the Texas State Technical College system.
  
• Prop 4: Dedicates part of sales tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund for water infrastructure.
  

Law, Courts and Rights

• Prop 3: Requires bail denial under certain circumstances for certain felonies and repeat offenders.
  
• Prop 12: Changes composition and appointments of the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct.
  
• Prop 15: Adds parental-rights protections to the state constitution.
  
• Prop 16: Explicitly bans non-citizen voting in state and local elections.
  

View the ballot language for all propositions as published by the Texas Secretary of State here.

Why Voting Matters

Constitutional amendments differ significantly from the laws regularly passed by the state legislature. 

According to UTRGV assistant political science professor Alvaro Corral, amendments to the state constitution define the rights of citizens and residents of the state. They also set boundaries on what state lawmakers can do. 

Unlike other states, such as California, where citizens propose propositions directly, Texas lawmakers draft the language of constitutional amendments, which voters then approve or reject, according to Corral. 

The permanence is what draws lawmakers to amend the state constitution, Corral said.

“It is a bit trickier to repeal a Texas constitutional amendment because it’s going into the constitution,” he said. “Say the Texas legislature were a bit more competitive between the two parties, we might see a sort of tit-for-tat where laws get passed and then immediately repealed on the opposing party coming into power.”

Legislators are also drawn to the constitutional amendment process because low voter turnout allows many amendments to pass. 

Youth turnout, especially in special elections, tends to be low, skewing legislative priorities toward older voters, according to Corral.  

While many of the propositions on the ballot do not directly affect students in the short term, Corral encourages students to consider their long-term impacts, especially those that shift how tax revenue is allocated or collected. 

“We need to think more deeply, beyond just our own pocketbooks,” Corral said. “Think about the larger goal of the state and what sort of state people want to live in, what sort of state people want to raise their children in, what sort of state they want their Texas public schools to be in competitively. I think it’s important to keep a long-term perspective.”

On campus, some Vaqueros are unaware of the upcoming special election. 

Valeria Del Angel, a UTRGV psychology senior, did not know about Tuesday’s election. Upon learning about it, she was inclined to vote. 

“I don’t think [lowering property taxes] is a good idea because we do need public funding,” Del Angel said in reference to Proposition 13. “That’s just cutting [funding to] people that go to public schools, that’s just cutting their opportunities to get a higher education, not everyone can afford private schooling.”

Similar to Del Angel, UTRGV social work freshman Alex Limas was unaware of the upcoming elections. 

After learning about some of the proposed propositions, particularly proposition 15, said she was more likely to vote. 

“It’s horrible. Anyone should be free to be who they are,” Limas said. 

Before heading out to vote, Corral said he encourages all Vaqueros to do their research. 

“There are 17 amendments before you with language that can be a little tricky to understand,” Corral said. “I encourage students to go online, consult political organizations they agree with or a nonprofit organization that they support and see what they’re saying. Get a broad sense of what various interests are saying so that you can come to your own conclusion.” 

Before you Vote!

Before heading out to your nearest polling place to cast your ballot, be sure not to wear any clothing items that reference any ballot measure, candidate, or political party, you may not be allowed into the polling place. 

Most importantly, remember to bring a valid form of ID with you, such as a Texas Driver’s License. Expired IDs are accepted as long as they went out of date four years ago or less.

Where do I Vote? 

Cameron County: 

The only on-campus voting location in Cameron County is in the Clinical Education Building Auditorium in Harlingen. Polls remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

You can find your nearest polling place here by visiting Cameron County’s website. Click here to view your sample ballot.

Hidalgo County: 

UTRGV will host an on-campus polling place at the ESTAC lounge in Edinburg from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

For all other voting locations, visit Hidalgo County’s website. Click here to view your sample ballot.