Texas Proposition 11, Authorize Bond Issues in Conservation and Reclamation Districts in El Paso County Amendment (2023)
| Texas Proposition 11 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2023 | |
| Topic County and municipal governance | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
Texas Proposition 11, the Authorize Bond Issues in Conservation and Reclamation Districts in El Paso County Amendment, was on the ballot in Texas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 7, 2023.[1][2]The ballot measure was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the state constitution to authorize the state legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds to fund parks and recreational facilities. |
A "no" vote opposed this constitutional amendment, thereby maintaining that conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County cannot issue bonds. |
Election results
|
Texas Proposition 11 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
1,526,830 | 63.35% | ||
| No | 883,339 | 36.65% | ||
Overview
What did the amendment change about conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County?
- See also: Text of measure
The measure amended section 59 of Article 16 of the Texas Constitution to authorize the state legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds to fund parks and recreational facilities and levy property taxes to repay the bonds. Conservation and reclamation districts are "governmental agencies and bodies politic and corporate with such powers of government and with the authority to exercise such rights, privileges and functions concerning" the conservation and development of the state's natural resources. Districts have elected boards that govern its functioning.[3]
Which counties were authorized to issue bonds in conservation and reclamation districts?
At the time of the election, the state constitution authorized conservation and reclamation districts in Bexar, Bastrop, Waller, Travis, Williamson, Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Montgomery Counties, and Tarrant Regional Water District to issue bonds repaid by property taxes. The section of the constitution that was amended was added in 2003 with the approval of Proposition 4. It authorized the existing list of counties to issue debt for projects in conservation and reclamation districts. It was approved with 56.4% of the vote.
In 2011, the state legislature referred a similar measure as the 2023 amendment that would have authorized El Paso County to permit conservation and reclamation districts to issue bonds and levy taxes for the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities. It was defeated by a margin of 51.7% to 48.3%.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[2]
| “ | The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds supported by ad valorem taxes to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities.[4] | ” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article 16, Texas Constitution
The measure amended section 59 of Article 16 of the state constitution. The following underlined text was added, and struck-through text was deleted:[2]
Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the below text to see the full text.
(c-1) In addition and only as provided by this subsection, the Legislature may authorize conservation and reclamation districts to develop and finance with taxes those types and categories of parks and recreational facilities that were not authorized by this section to be developed and financed with taxes before September 13, 2003. For development of such parks and recreational facilities, the Legislature may authorize indebtedness payable from taxes as may be necessary to provide for improvements and maintenance only for a conservation and reclamation district all or part of which is located in Bexar County, Bastrop County, Waller County, Travis County, Williamson County, Harris County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, |
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2023
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 23, and the FRE is -8. The word count for the ballot title is 35.
Support
Supporters
Officials
- State Rep. Joseph Moody (D)
Corporations
Arguments
You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org
Opposition
Opponents
Organizations
Arguments
Campaign finance
If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this amendment, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Media editorials
- See also: 2023 ballot measure media endorsements
Ballotpedia identified the following media editorial boards as taking positions on the proposition.
Ballotpedia lists the positions of media editorial boards that support or oppose ballot measures. This does not include opinion pieces from individuals or groups that do not represent the official position of a newspaper or media outlet. Ballotpedia includes editorials from newspapers and outlets based on circulation and readership, political coverage within a state, and length of publication. You can share media editorial board endorsements with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Support
Opposition
You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org
Background
Senate Bill 938 (2023)
Senate Bill 938 (SB 938), the enabling legislation for the amendment, was also passed during the 2023 legislative session. It took effect when the amendment was approved. It passed in the Senate by a vote of 28-3 on April 11, 2023. It was passed in the House by a vote of 103-41 with two not voting on April 28. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the bill on May 13.[5]
SB 938 amends the Texas Water Code to add El Paso County to the list of counties where conservation or reclamation districts located in all or part of the county may issue bonds to finance recreational facilities.[6]
Texas Proposition 7, El Paso County Parks and Recreational Provision Amendment (2011)
In 2011, the state legislature referred a similar measure as the 2023 amendment that would have authorized El Paso County to permit conservation and reclamation districts to issue bonds and levy taxes for the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities. The state Senate voted to put the amendment on the ballot by a vote of 30-1, and the state House vote was 144-0. It was defeated by a margin of 51.7% to 48.3%. The amendment was supported by the city of El Paso and the El Paso County Commissioners Court. It was opposed by We Texans, Empower Texans, and Texas Eagle Forum.[7][8][9][10]
Article 16, Texas Constitution
- See also: Article 16, Texas Constitution
Article 16 of the Texas Constitution is titled General Provisions. The amendment proposes amending Section 59, which was added on August 21, 1917, and has been amended at least five times. The section governs conservation and reclamation districts and defines them as "governmental agencies and bodies politic and corporate with such powers of government and with the authority to exercise such rights, privileges and functions concerning the subject matter of this amendment as may be conferred by law."[11]
The last amendment in 2003 authorized the legislature to allow conservation and reclamation districts to use taxes to develop and finance certain parks and recreation facilities. The amendment also authorized the legislature to allow local elections for the issuance of bonds in the Tarrant Regional Water District or a conservation and reclamation district located in whole or in part in Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery, Tarrant, Travis, Waller or Williamson Counties. It was approved with 56.4% of the vote.
Referred measures on the Texas ballot
- See also: List of Texas ballot measures
In Texas, a total of 281 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2022. Two hundred forty-eight 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 | ||
| # | % | # | % | ||||
Texas ballot measures in odd-numbered years
Between 1995 and 2021, Texans decided on 175 statewide ballot measures appearing on odd-numbered year ballots. Voters approved 160 measures and defeated 15.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Texas Constitution
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required in both the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives.
This amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 32 on January 20, 2023. On April 11, 2023, the state Senate passed SJR 32 by a vote of 28-3. On April 25, the state House passed SJR 32 by a vote of 111-34 with five not voting.[1]
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How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Texas
Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Texas.
| How to cast a vote in Texas | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll timesIn Texas, all polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Texas is divided between Central and Mountain time zones.[12]
Registration
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.[13] 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.[14] Automatic registrationTexas does not practice automatic voter registration. Online registration
Texas does not permit online voter registration. Same-day registrationTexas does not allow same-day voter registration. Residency requirementsProspective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote. Verification of citizenshipTexas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. Section 18.068 of the Texas Election Code says the following:
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.[16] The review was halted by a federal judge in February 2019, and Secretary of State David Whitley rescinded the advisory in April.[17][18] 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.”[19] Verifying your registrationThe Texas Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirementsTexas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[20] 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.
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.[20] 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:[20]
The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:[20]
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.[20] | ||||||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas State Legislature, "SJR 32 Overview," accessed April 12, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Texas State Legislature, "SJR 32 Text," accessed April 12, 2023
- ↑ Texas State Legislature, "Article 16. Section 59." accessed May 19, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Texas State Legislature, "Senate Bill 938," accessed May 19, 2023
- ↑ Texas State Legislature, "Senate Bill 938 Text," accessed May 19, 2023
- ↑ Texas House Research Organization: "Focus Report for Amendments Proposed in November 8, 2011 Election," July 20, 2011
- ↑ Empower Texans," "2011 Constitutional Amendments," October 7, 2011
- ↑ We Texans," "PROPOSITIONS VOTERS’ GUIDE: Just Say No," October 19, 2011
- ↑ Texas State Legislature, "Senate Joint Resolution 26," accessed May 10, 2023
- ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Texas Constitution," accessed March 30, 2014
- ↑ VoteTexas.gov, "Who, What, Where, When, How," accessed February 27, 2023
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Request for Voter Registration Applications,” accessed February 27, 2023
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Voter Registration,” accessed February 27, 2023
- ↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, “Election Code,” accessed February 23, 2023
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, “Texas officials flag tens of thousands of voters for citizenship checks,” January 25, 2019
- ↑ The New York Times, “Federal Judge Halts ‘Ham-Handed’ Texas Voter Purge,” February 28, 2019
- ↑ The New York Times, “Texas Ends Review That Questioned Citizenship of Almost 100,000 Voters,” April 26, 2019
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, “Secretary Whitley Announces Settlement In Litigation On Voter Registration List Maintenance Activity,” April 26, 2019
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Texas Secretary of State, "Required Identification for Voting in Person," accessed February 27, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "tvid" defined multiple times with different content
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