Prop 1
Voters really liked the idea of providing even more protection to Texas farmers, especially big ag. Four out of five chose to support this “right to farm” proposition, which raises the bar for cities to sue farmers for things like overusing pesticides. Critics of the prop, like the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, described it as “using a nuclear bomb instead of a pistol” to achieve its goals.
Prop 2
Voters overwhelmingly approved tax exemptions for properties used to operate child care centers, a pretty uncontroversial proposition as parents across the state struggle to affordably raise a family. Public education is exempt from property taxes, and now early education will be too.
Prop 3
Proposition 3 looked like a slam dunk from the get-go and, sure enough, it won approval from 2 out of 3 voters, though the outcome was less one-sided than some had expected in an anti-tax state like Texas. The prop will preempt any attempt to impose a wealth-based tax – not currently being considered – with a statewide election.
Prop 4
Texans really love property tax cuts, as evidenced by the nearly 84% approval for a historic $18 billion cut from school district property taxes. The proposition will give school districts a one-time injection of funds from the budget surplus to make up for it, while homeowners will save an estimated $2,500 in taxes over the next two years, according to the bill’s author, Houston Republican Sen. Paul Bettencourt. Renters, however, have been left out of the equation, instead relying on the kindness of landlords to pass on the savings.
Prop 5
Voters approved spreading the wealth to the state’s emerging universities. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have traditionally received most of the state’s available research grants, but Prop 5 will create a new fund to funnel money to Texas State University, Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, and the University of North Texas. “Congratulations to the State of Texas!” wrote Texas Tech Chancellor Emeritus Kent Hance. “Huge win for research.”
Prop 6
In an era of increasingly dire drought, Texas will receive a new state water supply fund, which will support new technologies like seawater desalination and produced water reuse, as well as rural infrastructure projects to reduce water loss through leaky pipes.
Prop 7
This one was a disappointment. Voters agreed to create the Texas Energy Fund, which will put aside billions of taxpayer dollars for gas plant construction. The prop is meant to address problems in the state’s notoriously overburdened grid, but it explicitly stipulates that battery generation projects need not apply and gives low-interest loans to gas plants that could get the same loans from the private market. “Prop 7 is basically a vote in favor of socialism for the natural gas industry,” Bloomberg Opinion writer Liam Denning wrote.
Prop 8
Expanding broadband infrastructure is a popular bipartisan issue, and rightfully so, as high-speed internet is pretty much required to exist in modern society. This proposition will dedicate $1.5 billion to expand internet access over the next 10 years.
Prop 9
As is evidenced by school vouchers’ repeated losses at the Legislature, the state of Texas actually does love its public school system. Voters showed it again by agreeing to give retired Texas teachers cost-of-living raises in their monthly pension checks. Prop 9 funnels several billion dollars into the Teachers Retirement System to keep it solvent, too.
Prop 10
The Chronicle doesn’t usually endorse tax exemptions for corporations, but cheaper medical equipment could reduce patients’ costs. Turns out Texans were similarly on the fence, and the prop passed with a muted 55% in favor.
Prop 11
Texans agreed that beautiful El Paso County deserves to be able to develop parkland just like the other major counties of the state.
Prop 12
The Chronicle did not endorse in this highly localized issue of abolishing the Galveston County treasurer’s office, but around 53% of Texans seemed to think it was a good idea.
Prop 13
Voters really didn’t like the idea of changing the age at which state judges must retire. Of the 14 propositions submitted to voters, Prop 13 was the only one rejected, with Texans deciding by a 2-1 margin to keep the current cutoff at 75 years of age instead of raising it to 79. With the prop’s failure, several state judges will be required to retire in the coming years, including the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Nathan Hecht.
Prop 14
Perhaps the most popular of the propositions, 14 will secure $1 billion for Texas state parks, ensuring the acquisition of more land and continued preservation of existing natural resources for generations of outdoor recreation to come.
County Propositions
Though overall turnout was dismal – only 16% of Travis County’s 884,806 registered voters cast a ballot – voters enthusiastically supported the two county propositions on the ballot. Prop A, a $233 million investment in transportation projects geared toward safety and capacity, passed with about 76% of the vote. Prop B, the more expensive $276 million investment in parkland acquisition, passed with 77% of the vote. With both approved by more than 100,000 voters each, the monthly property tax impact for the owner of a median-value Travis County home will be about $4. In return, Travis County residents will see improvements to some substandard roads, as well as investment in bike lanes, sidewalks, and more. As for Prop B, “This will allow us to invest in thousands of acres of preserve land and green space – raw land that is every day more scarce,” County Judge Andy Brown told the Chronicle.
This article appears in November 10 • 2023.