Texas voters have approved 17 new amendments to the state constitution which could reshape taxes, education, public safety and infrastructure in the state.
The Ropes ISD bond election also passed with 56.96 percent voting for the proposition.
According to Hockley County Elections Administrator Jody Rose, there were 1,629 ballots cast in Hockley County in the Constitutional Amendment Election, or just over 10 percent of the registered voters.
Hockley County voters fell in line with the rest of the state, voting for all the amendments; Proposition A , Ropes Independent School District passed with a vote of 176 for and 133 against.
Taxes were a primary focus of this year’s constitutional amendment election, with six of the 17 amendments targeting property taxes.
Proposition 13 increases the homestead exemption for all homeowners from $100,000 to $140,000, and Proposition 11 which gives senior citizens and those with disabilities an extra $60,0000 exemption.
Property taxes will also go down for landlords and business owners under Proposition 9.
Additional amendments that were passed are Proposition 10, which gives homeowners whose homes were destroyed by fires an exemption, as well as Proposition 7 that creates exemptions for widows of veterans whose death was a result of service.
Proposition 17 will give Texans who live along the southern border a property tax break for building projects on their land if they’re related to border security.
Voters passed Proposition 1 which creates two new funds to help expand the Texas’ network of technical colleges. Funds can be used toward buying land, building new classrooms and labs, repairing campus buildings and updating equipment.
Proposition 4 will direct up to $1 billion a year updating the state’s infrastructure, building reservoirs and shoring up the state’s water supply against future droughts.
Proposition 2 will ban a capital gains tax and Proposition 6 prohibits certain taxes on financial service providers like stock exchanges and broker dealers.
Voters also approved Proposition 8, which bans inheritance taxes in the state, ensuring lawmakers cannot impose a tax on estates or inheritances in the future.
Proposition 5 passed and will create a tax exemption for animal feed held in retailers’ inventories. The proposition was aimed at supporting Texas agriculture and lowering livestock production costs.
Two propositions passed targeting the state’s criminal justice system. Proposition 3 requires judges to deny bail in some violent and sexual offense cases if there’s evidence the person poses a danger or might flee which advocates say will close loopholes that allow repeat offenders to walk free.
Proposition 12 was approved to overhauls the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, giving it more power “to more effectively sanction judges for judicial misconduct” and change how its members are appointed.
Concerning social and election issues, Proposition 15 puts parents’ rights directly into the state constitution and roposition 16 reinforces current Texas law that only U.S. citizens can vote in state and local elections.