Election aftermath: 7 Texas amendments approved, 3 defeated

November 9, 2011

By Jimmy Ardis

AUSTIN, Texas: Texas voters decided the fate of ten proposed constitutional amendments in yesterday's general election.

With all 7,428 precincts reporting, unofficial results of the November 8th election show that seven out of the ten propositions on the ballot have been approved. The three defeated amendments mark a change in Texas voter behavior, as only two other amendments have been turned down in the last decade. In recent years Texas lawmakers have had some measure of certainty that if the legislature got proposed amendments on to the ballot, voters would give the thumbs up. Not this year.

The defeated measures were Proposition 4, Proposition 7, and Proposition 8. Prop 4 would have allowed counties to issue redevelopment bonds pledged by tax revenues from future increases in property values in the redevelopment area. Proposition 7 would have added El Paso to the list of counties in the constitution that are eligible to be authorized by the Texas State Legislature to create conservation and reclamation districts for creating parks and recreation facilities.

The biggest upset of the night was clearly the demise of Proposition 8. If passed, the amendment would have added water stewardship to the list of land uses that could be appraised on productive capacity to qualify for tax breaks. Prop 8 attracted widespread support. With crippling droughts and continual population growth, it was seen as a key conservation effort. The joint resolution (SJR 16) that got it on the ballot was passed unanimously by the Texas Legislature. Prop 8 was supported by Democrats and Republicans, business and environmental groups, urbanites and famers, with no organized vocal opposition.

Official elections results will be posted when the Texas Secretary of State's website updates those numbers.

The results

To see detailed election results, click on each measure link.

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Proposition 1	Taxes	Property tax exemptions for surviving spouses of disabled veterans	a
LRCA	Proposition 2	Bonds	Texas Water Development Board bonds	a
LRCA	Proposition 3	Education	Education loans funded by general obligation bonds	a
LRCA	Proposition 4	Bonds	Counties permitted to issue bonds related to development of un/underdeveloped or blighted areas	d
LRCA	Proposition 5	Admin of gov't	Cities/counties can enter into interlocal contracts without a tax or sinking fund	a
LRCA	Proposition 6	Education	Changes in the permanent school fund	a
LRCA	Proposition 7	Admin of gov't	Provision of parks and recreational facilities in El Paso County	d
LRCA	Proposition 8	Taxes	Tax appraisal rules for open space land devoted to water stewardship	d
LRCA	Proposition 9	Admin of gov't	Governor allowed to grant pardons related to deferred adjudication community supervision	a
LRCA	Proposition 10	Admin of gov't	Rules for automatic resignation of politicians who become candidates for other offices	a

See also

List of Texas ballot measures