Texas 2022 ballot measures
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Two statewide ballot measures were on the ballot in Texas on May 7, 2022.
- — a measure that would authorize the state legislature to reduce the limit on property taxes imposed on the homesteads of elderly or disabled residents to reflect any tax rate reduction enacted by law from the preceding tax year
- — a measure to increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000.
On the ballot
| Type | Title | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposition 1 | Authorize the Legislature to reduce the school tax limits for senior and disabled residents to reflect reductions passed as statute from the preceding tax year |
|
1,128,380 (87%) |
168,141 (13%) |
|
| Proposition 2 | Increase the homestead exemption for school district taxes from $25,000 to $40,000 |
|
1,112,961 (85%) |
197,120 (15%) |
Getting measures on the ballot
Citizens
In Texas, citizens do not have the power to initiate statewide initiatives or referendums. Voters rejected a constitutional amendment to provide for the initiative and referendum process in 1914. As of 2022, the state allowed charter cities to have an initiative process for local ballot measures.
Legislature
The Texas State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments, to the ballot in odd-numbered years and even-numbered years. However, as the legislature convenes regular sessions in odd-numbered years but not even-numbered years, most amendments have been referred to ballots in odd-numbered years. Between 1995 and 2019, 167 of 169 (99 percent) statewide ballot measures appeared on odd-numbered year ballots.
Texas is one of 16 states that requires a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber during one legislative session to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the Texas House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Texas Senate, assuming no vacancies.
Governor Greg Abbott (R) called a special legislative session on August 7, 2021. Since the deadline to refer ballot measures to the 2021 ballot had passed, the measures proposed in this special legislative session were placed on the May 7, 2022, ballot.
2022 proposals
During the 2021 second and third special legislative sessions, 72 constitutional amendments were filed in the Texas State Legislature for the 2022 ballot.
- Democrats filed 28 (38.9%) of the constitutional amendments.
- Republicans filed 44 (61.1%) of the constitutional amendments.
- In the state Senate, 24 (33.3%) of the constitutional amendments were filed.
- In the state House, 48 (66.7%) of the constitutional amendments were filed.
Context of 2020 elections
- See also: Texas elections, 2020
In 2021, Republicans controlled both chambers of the state legislature, as well as the governor's office, making Texas a Republican trifecta. At the general election on November 3, 2020, Republicans retained control of the House and Senate, maintained their 83-67 majority in the House, and lost one seat in the Senate. The new majority in the Senate following the election was 18-13. Changes in the state have impacted the prospects of constitutional amendments making the ballot. Republicans held 21 seats in the state Senate in 2018, which was enough to pass a constitutional amendment without support from Democrats. In 2019, Republicans held 19 seats, meaning at least two Democrats were needed to pass a constitutional amendment in the state Senate. In 2019, the last election in Texas featuring constitutional amendments, six of the 10 amendments received unanimous support from Senate Democrats. In 2015, 2017, and 2019, none of the constitutional amendments were referred to the ballot along partisan lines.
Historical facts
- See also: List of Texas ballot measures
In Texas, a total of 280 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2022. Two hundred forty-seven ballot measures were approved, and 33 ballot measures were defeated.
| Texas statewide ballot measures, 1985-2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Annual average | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | Approved | Defeated | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
By topic
The following sortable table shows the topic breakdown for the 179 measures that were referred to Texas ballots between 1995 and 2019:
| Topic | Number of measures |
|---|---|
| Administration of government | 16 |
| Bonds | 21 |
| Business regulation | 9 |
| Education | 5 |
| Elections | 4 |
| Government budgets and finances | 16 |
| State judiciary | 10 |
| County and local government | 7 |
| Property | 11 |
| State executive | 4 |
| Taxes | 41 |
| Transportation | 4 |
| Veterans | 3 |
| Civil and criminal trials and Law enforcement | 6 |
| Constitutional language | 3 |
| Natural resources, Forests and parks, and Animals | 4 |
| State legislature | 1 |
| Healthcare | 3 |
| Housing | 2 |
| Gambling | 3 |
| Term limits | 2 |
| Marriage | 1 |
| Pensions | 1 |
| Religion | 1 |
Turnout
Between 1988 and 2020, the average turnout of registered voters in odd-numbered year elections featuring constitutional amendments was 11 percent—39 percentage points lower than the average turnout at general elections in even-numbered years. The lowest turnout for an odd-numbered year election during this period was 5 percent in 2011 when voters decided 10 constitutional amendments. The highest turnout for an odd-numbered year election during this period was 26 percent in 1991 when voters decided 13 constitutional amendments.[1]
Local ballot measures
- See also: Texas 2022 local ballot measures
Click here to read more about 2022 local ballot measures in Texas.
Not on the ballot
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | Changes in Regulations Governing Bail Amendment | Law enforcement | Authorizes a judge or magistrate to impose the least restrictive bail conditions and to deny bail for certain crimes including, persons accused of a violent or sexual offense or continuous trafficking of persons |  |
State profile
| Demographic data for Texas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Texas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 27,429,639 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 261,232 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 74.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 11.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.6% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,207 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Texas
Texas voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Texas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[2]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Texas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Texas coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Texas
- United States congressional delegations from Texas
- Public policy in Texas
- Influencers in Texas
- Texas fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2022 ballot measures
- Texas 2022 local ballot measures
- List of Texas ballot measures
- Texas State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Turnout and Voter Registration Figures," accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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