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Monday, November 7, 2011

Tuesday, Nov. 8 is election day


Ten proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are on the ballot. San Marcos voters will decide races for two city council seats. Voters in Buda will decide on an increase of the sales and use tax from a half penny to 1.5-cents for the Emergency Services District. And voters in the Dripping Springs ISD will decide the fate of a controversial 13-cent increase in the property tax rate, to the highest level allowed under state law.

Polling places will be open 7 a.m to 7 p.m. Click on this link t0 download the voting locations for your voting precinct: http://www.co.hays.tx.us/index.php/government/elections-and-voting/election-day-polling-information/.

Click here for a map of voting locations.

Please take the time to vote. The more the merrier. Our men and women in uniform will appreciate it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My father used to say "vote against all Constitutional amendments, if it is any good they will bring it back again."

Charles O'Dell said...

Texas has had seven constitutions.

The current 1876 Constitution is among the longest of state constitutions in the United States. As of November 2009 a total of 643 amendments have been proposed, of which 467 were approved by voters and 176 were rejected.

When the foundational document upon which government is based contains a lot of policy details, it takes nothing short of a constitutional amendment to change those details.

You might think that constitutional amendments are proposed only for matters of great policy or institutional importance.

In the 2003 special election, voters were asked about donating surplus fire equipment, in particular whether a constitutional amendment should be adopted to authorize municipalities to donate surplus fire-fighting equipment or supplies for the benefit of rural volunteer fire departments.

Amendments also beget still more amendments. Every time an amendment is added, more details are added to the basic plan of governance. When the need is felt to change these new details, newer amendments often need to be proposed.

But because the Texas Constitution addresses such policy details, only the voters through a special statewide election can make needed changes.

Matters such as these might more easily and effectively be dealt with through legislative, executive, or even local administrative authority.

Anonymous said...

looks like the folks over in Buda voted down the the fire departments bond. I guess all the fighting between the fd and the city was all for not, but it made for some good copy.