Texas Politics & Government: Ideas and Institutions

After eight days of early voting, 2.55 percent of registered voters in Texas had cast their votes on ten constitutional amendments. The 15 largest counties accounted for nearly the same percentage of early votes. The trend continues, and at this rate, about ten percent of registered voters will participate when the votes are tallied after Election Day.

Early voting continues for just four more days after today. Friday is always a big day. If you plan to vote early, you need to select a date and location and be an active citizen. I know that constitutional amendments and local propositions are not sexy, but they are necessary. Among the constitutional amendments, there is at least one amendment (Prop 4) that has serious ramifications for Texas' future and its ability to provide services for residents of the state. GO VOTE!

Day five saw a slight drop in the rate of increase in early voting in the 15 largest counties in Texas. However, in all 254 counties, the percentage increased to 1.88 percent.

The fourth day of early voting in the fifteen Texas counties with the greatest number of registered voters resulted in a percentage that is very close to the percentage in the 2015 constitutional amendment election. When will that percentage be surpassed? I predict that it will occur this weekend.

After Wednesday's tally, Texans have completed one-fourth of the days for early voting on ten constitutional amendments. I've done my part. Now, you need to vote. Early Voting Continues through November 1, 2019. Let your voice be heard!

I will be posting daily on voter turnout in the election to consider ten proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Amended 498 times since 1876, the Constitution continues to have layers of new skin applied to the deteriorating body that was crafted in 1875 in response to the administration of Governor E.J. Davis and Radical Republican Reconstruction. Unfortunately, the skin doesn't perfectly cover the scars left by years of face lifts and other cosmetic procedures. Voter turnout is not good in Texas, and it's even worse in special elections, which are held to fill vacancies in some offices, consider bonds, and adopt or reject constitutional amendments. In the most recent special election for constitutional amendments, November 2017, only 4.5 percent of the voting age population and 5.81 percent of registered voters turned out. The prospects aren't good for a large turnout in this election. Although the early voting percentages from the state's 30 counties with t...

Early voting on 10 amendments to the Texas Constitution starts today. Among the amendments is Proposition 4, which creates a constitutional ban on an income tax in Texas. There are a number of things wrong with this amendment. First, Texas has a provision in Article VIII, Taxation and Revenue, that requires a vote of the people to approve any creation of a tax on the income of "natural persons." It also specifies that the proceeds from an income tax will be dedicated to reducing the local property tax for education (two-thirds of the proceeds) and to support education (one-third of the proceeds). This has been a part of the Texas Constitution since 1993. Although it does not prohibit an income tax, it specifies that the people of Texas will decide whether an income tax, if enacted by the legislature, is needed. Second, and more importantly, the wording of the amendment is troublesome. It bans an income tax on income of "individuals." Amendments to the bill were o...