Amarillo, Texas, Proposition A, Local Abortion Policies Initiative (November 2024)

Amarillo Proposition A
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic Local abortion
Status Defeated
Type Initiative

Amarillo Proposition A was on the ballot as an initiative in Amarillo on November 5, 2024. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported this ballot initiative to: declare that the City of Amarillo is a Sanctuary City for the Unborn; declare that abortion is illegal in Amarillo, except when performed to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency; provide that abortion-inducing drugs are unlawful contraband; prohibit city residents from receiving abortions in other jurisdictions to the extent constitutionally permissible; prohibit people from transporting city residents to a place outside Amarillo to receive an abortion; designate organizations that use mail to send items intended for abortions as criminal organizations and prohibit them from operating in Amarillo; and  provide that private persons have standing to bring civil actions against persons who violate or intend to violate this law.

A "no" vote opposed this ballot initiative to designate Amarillo as a Sanctuary City for the Unborn and enact specific city regulations and restrictions on abortion.

Election results

See also: Results for abortion-related ballot measures, 2024

Amarillo Proposition A
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		27,579	40.54%
No		40,442	59.46%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What was Proposition A designed to do?

Proposition A was designed to declare that Amarillo is a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, and amend the Amarillo Code of Ordinances to provide that it will be unlawful for any person to procure or perform an abortion of any type and at any state of pregnancy in Amarillo, Texas, except when performed to save the life of the pregnant woman in a medical emergency. Under the measure, it would have been unlawful for any person to aid or abet an abortion in the city. It would have banned the manufacturing, possession, or distribution of abortion-inducing drugs, including mifepristone and misoprostol.

The measure would have prohibited city residents from receiving abortions in other jurisdictions to the extent constitutionally permissible and prohibited people from transporting city residents to a place outside Amarillo to receive an abortion. It would have designated organizations that use mail to send items intended for abortions as criminal organizations and prohibit them from operating in Amarillo. The measure was designed to make it unlawful to transport the remains of a fetus or unborn child that was terminated by an elective abortion, or to dispose of those remains in Amarillo. The measure would have also provided that private persons have standing to bring civil actions against persons who violate or intend to violate this law.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition A was as follows:

“

The Code of Ordinances of the City Of Amarillo, Texas shall be amended to adopt an initiated ordinance, submitted by the Amarillo Sanctuary City for the Unborn Citizen Initiative Petition Initiating Committee, declaring the City of Amarillo a sanctuary city for the unborn; declaring that abortion at all times and at all stages of pregnancy is unlawful unless an abortion is performed to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency; finding that abortion-inducing drugs are declared contraband and it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, possess, or distribute abortion-inducing drugs in the City of Amarillo; prohibiting abortions within the City of Amarillo; prohibiting abortions on City of Arnarillo residents; prohibiting abortion trafficking of an unborn child; prohibiting abortion-inducing drugs in the City of Amarillo; prohibiting any organization that violates 18 U.S.C. Sections 1461 or 1462 by facilitating abortions from operating or doing business in the City of Amarillo; prohibiting the transportation or disposal in the City of Amarillo Of the remains of an unborn child killed by an abortion; providing a private right of action; providing for affirmative defenses; providing for severability and providing an effective date.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Amarillo Sanctuary City for the Unborn Citizen Initiative Petition Committee and Project Destiny Amarillo were the campaigns in support of the initiative.

Supporters

Organizations

• Right to Life East Texas

Arguments

• Project Destiny Amarillo: "The core intention of the ordinance is simple: to protect the most vulnerable among us - unborn children. This ordinance aims to prevent the organized transportation of pregnant women across state lines specifically for elective abortions, while ensuring the rights of these women are fully respected. This is balanced enforcement. The ordinance respects individual creeds and ensures that the ordinance is applied fairly and justly. It does not involve invasive measures such as checkpoints or traffic stops. It protects pregnant women. Expectant mothers are explicitly protected from being sued for traveling to obtain an abortion. The anti-trafficking component of the ordinance takes a stand for ethical considerations and the protection of unborn children, while ensuring that women’s rights and freedoms are upheld. It is a balanced approach that seeks to address a complex issue thoughtfully and responsibly."

Opposition

Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance led the campaign in opposition to the initiative.

Opponents

Organizations

• Women's March

Arguments

• Women's March: "Prop A is an unnecessary and dangerous ordinance that seeks to make Amarillo a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn.’ In reality, it threatens reproductive healthcare access, targets healthcare providers, and opens the door for extreme, expensive legal actions in Amarillo. We stand firmly against Prop A because it is a clear overreach of government power, has no place in any city, and is part of a larger out-of-town extremist push to criminalize abortion care nationally."
• Amarillo City Council member Tom Scherlen: "I’m totally pro-life, but I’m not pro this ordinance because this ordinance has a lot of government overreach … Neighbor sues neighbor, and nothing happens on this law unless the baby is dead already. So, what you’re doing, you’re putting a law into effect that does nothing to save the baby’s life."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Texas

The Amarillo Sanctuary City for the Unborn Citizen Initiative Petition Committee submitted more than 10,300 signatures on April 25, 2024. On May 16, 2024, the secretary’s office found 6,300 of the submitted signatures valid, and on May 28, the petition was presented to the city council. The Amarillo City Council rejected the ordinance on July 11, 2024. On June 29, 2024, the initiative committee submitted a statement to the city secretary certifying the intent to present the proposed ordinance to voters. The Amarillo City council voted to place the initiative on the ballot on July 9, 2024.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Texas

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Texas.

How to vote in Texas

Poll times

In Texas, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Texas is divided between the Central and Mountain time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Texas, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which he or she is registering, and at least 17 years and 10 months old.

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary of state’s office, libraries, and high schools. Voter registration certificates are mailed to newly registered voters.

Automatic registration

Texas does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Texas does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

Texas does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Texas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

State law requires election officials to conduct a check of registered voters' citizenship status. Section 18.068 of the Texas Election Code says the following:

“	The secretary of state shall quarterly compare the information received under Section 16.001 of this code and Section 62.113, Government Code, to the statewide computerized voter registration list. If the secretary determines that a voter on the registration list is deceased or has been excused or disqualified from jury service because the voter is not a citizen, the secretary shall send notice of the determination to the voter registrar of the counties considered appropriate by the secretary.	”
—Section 18.068, Texas Election Code

In January 2019, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced that it would be providing local election officials with a list of registered voters who obtained driver’s licenses or IDs with documentation such as work visas or green cards. Counties would then be able to require voters on the list to provide proof of citizenship within 30 days. The review was halted by a federal judge in February 2019, and Secretary of State David Whitley rescinded the advisory in April. A news release from Whitley’s office stated that “... going forward, the Texas Secretary of State's office will send to county voter registrars only the matching records of individuals who registered to vote before identifying themselves as non-U.S. citizens to DPS when applying for a driver's license or personal identification card. This will ensure that naturalized U.S. citizens who lawfully registered to vote are not impacted by this voter registration list maintenance process.”

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Texas Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

Texas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of February 2023. Click here for the Texas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
• Texas handgun license issued by DPS
• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States passport (book or card)

Identification provided by voters aged 18-69 may be expired for no more than four years before the election date. Voters aged 70 and older can use an expired ID card regardless of how long ago the ID expired.

Voters who are unable to provide one of the ID options listed above can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide one of the following supporting documents:

• Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
• Copy of or original current utility bill
• Copy of or original bank statement
• Copy of or original government check
• Copy of or original paycheck
• Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:

• Voters with a disability
  • Voters with a disability "may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to presenting an acceptable photo identification or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure in the county."
• Voters who have a religious objection to being photographed

Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at any Texas driver’s license office during regular business hours. Voters can also obtain an Election Identification Certificate from a mobile station. Locations are listed here.

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2024
• Local abortion on the ballot

Texas

• Texas 2024 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Texas
• Amarillo, Texas

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas